SATURDAY 12 MARCH 2016

SAT 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmx1)
Operation Luna
10. The Citadel
Stranded in Earth's past, the Voice tries tempting Captain Jet Morgan and his crew out into the city of the aliens.
Futuristic tale set in 1965 written and produced by Charles Chilton.
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
All Other Parts …. Deryck Guyler
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
The original 1953 recordings of this futuristic series were erased.
This series was re-recorded and first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in May 1958.
SAT 00:30 Soul Music (b0076xj6)
Series 5
Widor's Toccata
Ever since Widor's Toccata was included in two Royal wedding ceremonies in the 1960's, this display of fireworks at the organ has become a firm favourite for married couples to exit the Church by in the UK.
Organist Thomas Trotter dissects the music and dispels the myths about playing Widor's Toccata. Organist Daniel Roth explains what it's like to be Widor's direct successor as present day organist at the St Sulpice in Paris. And record producer Simon Cooper talks about hearing a synthesized version of the piece as a 7 year old which switched him on to music for the first time and led him to become a composer himself
Featuring:
Thomas Trotter
John Berry
Simon Cooper
Daniel Roth
Dr Francis Jackson
Katherine Dienes
Series about music that makes the hairs stand up on the back of our necks.
Producer: Rosie Boulton
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2006.
SAT 01:00 Craddock and Co (b007jsw5)
3. My Dear Isabelle
Spring, 1900: The reappearance of a woman from his past persuades Victorian private investigator, Charles Craddock, to help find her kidnapped husband in France, but niece Lucy realises there are hidden perils.
CAST:
Charles Craddock …. Martin Jarvis
Lucy Greenwood …. Emma Tate
Grout …. Struan Rodger
Isabelle Vallance …. Frances Jeater
Leopold Kransky …. Stephen Thorne
Sir Aubrey Blake …. Colin Pinney
Monsieur Vallance …. Malcolm Ward
Walter Smith …. Michael Onslow
Written by Chris Thompson.
Director: John Taylor.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 5 in 1993.
SAT 01:30 Once in a Blue Moon: The Songs of Lal Waterson (b00vrvqh)
Lal Waterson's voice was stark but captivating and it's been said that the songs she wrote were close to German cabaret or chanson. They were lyrically ambitious and melodically powerful.
Since her death in 1998, her reputation has grown and now she is placed alongside the great singer song-writers like Nick Drake and Richard Thompson. She was a member of the famous Waterson family and numbered among other relatives the folk singer Martin Carthy and his daughter Eliza.
In this feature, Robin Denselow explores the life and legacy of Lal Waterson and assesses her impact on song-writers today.
Producer: Emma Kingsley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2010.
SAT 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01nd3jk)
Patricia Ferguson - The Midwife's Daughter
Episode 5
By Patricia Ferguson
Read by Joanna Tope
The new novel by Patricia Ferguson is the compassionate and moving story of two sisters and the young black orphan who changes their lives.
Violet hears about her sister's overreaction to a description of Grace and suspects that Bea has been keeping a secret from her.
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane.
SAT 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04cfvg3)
Botanical Medicine
In 1947 Sir Robert Robinson received the Nobel prize for Chemistry "in recognition of his investigations of plant products of biological importance, especially the alkaloids". This powerful family of plant chemicals was proving a potent medical tool.
Professor Kathy Willis traces the natural role of alkaloids in plants and the first attempts to isolate one of the best know - quinine, from chinchona bark growing in the Andes. This development gave rise to the emergence of a new kind of laboratory scientist equally able to handle botanical and chemical data. As Mark Nesbitt, Keeper of Kew's Economic Botany Collection explains, this was to eliminate the chance and guesswork in identifying "good" plants from "bad".
Professor Monique Simmons of Kew's Jodrell Laboratory, assesses why chemicals from the plant kingdom are still needed in the fight against some of our most challenging diseases, from breast cancer to cardiovascular disease, and how making the nuanced connections between plant species is central to success in this field.
Producer Adrian Washbourne.
SAT 02:30 Jacqueline Susann - Valley of the Dolls (b00mlxk3)
Episode 15
Betrayed by Neely, and with Lyon becoming more distant, Anne turns to the dolls. Stars Madeleine Potter and Barbara Barnes.
SAT 02:45 Book of the Week (b00zm3hq)
John Julius Norwich - The Popes
Episode 5
Well known for his histories of Norman Sicily, Venice, the Byzantine Empire and the Mediterranean, John Julius Norwich has now turned his attention to the oldest continuing institution in the world, tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter himself - traditionally (though by no means historically) the first pope - to the present day. Of the 280-odd holders of the supreme office, some have unquestionably been saints; others have wallowed in unspeakable iniquity.
In the final episode of The Popes, John Julius Norwich concludes with the election of the people's pope John XXIII a welcome antidote to Pius XII. Expected to be nothing more than a brief, caretaker pope, John turned out to be anything but. Dragging the Church into the twentieth century, he shook the world.
Producer: David Roper
A Heavy Entertainment production for BBC Radio 4.
SAT 03:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017h805)
The Light and the Dark
As the Second World War erupts, Lewis Eliot heads to Whitehall and his love life takes an unexpected turn.
CP Snow's epic novel sequence about the English Establishment and Power.
Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway
With Adam Godley as Lewis Eliot and narrated by David Haig
Hector Rose ...Rupert Vansittart
Roy Calvert .... Adam Levy
Houston Eggar ... Peter Marinker
Willy Romantovski ... Kenneth Collard
Gilbert Cooke ... Anthony Calf
Margaret Davidson ...Juliet Aubrey
Rosalind ... Anne-Marie Duff
Betty Vane ... Carla Simpson
Directed by Jeremy Howe and Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2003.
SAT 04:00 Wildbrain (b07308t6)
1997 - Heat 5
Lionel Kelleway visits Arundel to test three contestants' wildlife knowledge in the BBC Natural History Unit's quiz.
SAT 04:30 No Commitments (b007jp22)
Series 8
New Age Differences
Victoria gets all intellectual, while Charlotte is on a spiritual path. Stars Angela Thorne and Celia Imrie. From January 2002.
SAT 05:00 1835 (b0125lgl)
All at Sea
Aristocrat Belport and his servant Ned are called up to serve in the navy aboard the HMS Fortunate. Fortunate by name, a magnet for French cannons by nature...
Comic saga of an aristocrat and his servant who struggle to find things to do in the mid- 1830s.
Belport ...... Paul Rider
Ned ...... Jason Done
Black Pete ...... Roy Barraclough
Collins ...... Simon Greenall
Tony Nelson ...... Jonathan Keeble
Written and directed at BBC Manchester by Jim Poyser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2004.
SAT 05:30 Wordaholics (b01rvptv)
Series 2
Episode 3
Gyles Brandreth chairs the word-obsessed comedy panel show.
Lloyd Langford and Susie Dent compete against Dave Gorman and Natalie Haynes to find out who has the most word know-how.
Dave Gorman guesses the meaning of the phrase 'living on Queen Street' from the late 1800s; Natalie Haynes unravels the word 'autodysomophobia'; Lloyd Langford guesses the meaning of the Yiddish word 'farpotshket'; and Susie Dent shares her love of the current Liverpool word 'twirlies' and explains the meaning of the word 'quockerwodger'.
Both teams also have a go at coming up with modern phrases to replace the old cliches 'When life give you lemons, make lemonade' and 'Beauty is only skin deep'.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2013.
SAT 06:00 Frederick Bradnum - The Girl Who Didn't Want To Be... (b0736s54)
"Do you know about the crowns? Virgin crowns. Unique to this church, you know. If a person is born, baptised and dies in the parish, above the age of puberty, and is a virgin, then the next of kin ask for a virgin crown. There is a sort of calling of the banns, so that if anyone wants to object they can."
When Maggie Bell died, no one did actually object, though there were several who should have done. But Maggie herself objects quite strongly.
A serious comedy for radio by Frederick Bradnum.
Starring Simon Cadell as Timothy Turner, Joanna David as Pamela Turner, Christopher Benjamin as Harold Thorpe and Angela Pleasence as Maggie Bell.
Best remembered as Jeffrey Fairbrother from the BBC's Hi-de-Hi!, Simon Cadell was born: 19th July 1950 and died 6th March 1996.
Directed by Jane Morgan.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978.
SAT 07:30 Tony Hawks's Guide to the Guides (b0075w80)
Paris
Testing out the guide books, comedian Tony goes in search of romantic Paris - and where in the city he should kiss. From July 2000.
SAT 08:00 Archive on 4 (b00yztnk)
Walls of Sound
When Nelson Mandela was tried 1964 he famously said, "I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunity. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and achieve, but, if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." Without the British Library's sound conservation work we would never have heard this. The trial was recorded using a Dictabelt system. The recordings soon became unplayable. The Dictabelts were brought to the British Library where digital transfers were made, allowing us to hear what Mandela said, and how.
In 1924, in Paris, James Joyce was recorded reading from 'Ulysses' and the British Library's disc is as highly prized as its Blake, Hardy and Lawrence manuscripts. Alas, we'll never hear how they read their work.
These are just two of recordings of immense importance that without the work of the Sound Conservation Centre would be lost. And what a loss that would be. The British Library has invested millions in the Centre and appointed its first ever Curator of Radio. Audio is being accorded the conservation effort usually devoted manuscripts and old masters. All this, the radio historian Sean Street argues in this programme, reflects a fundamental change in attitude to sound itself.
In a massive undertaking our sound archives are being saved, restored, digitised, catalogued and opened to all. Street observes all this and talks to curators, technicians and users. Throughout we hear amazing recordings from the libraries walls of sound that, until this change in thinking about sound, few knew about, and fewer could listen to. We listen as these recordings find their rightful place in the documentary heritage of the nation.
Producer : Julian May.
SAT 09:00 Floating In Space (b073bhqc)
Grab your space suit, climb on board and get ready for take-off, as BBC Radio 4 Extra blasts off for an adventure into space!
With a three hour flight time - from launch, to spacewalk, touchdown on the Moon and Mars, before crashing back to earth.
Samira Ahmed (Radio and TV presenter, childhood space obsessive) is our captain, navigating the course through a rich mix of space themed radio dramas, readings and comedies.
Along the way, we explore the cultural influence of the space race, examine the highs and lows of life as an astronaut, and see just why the limitless possibilities of radio makes it the perfect medium to capture the vastness of space.
Samira opens her communication channels to sci-fi writer Simon Guerrier – and producer Dirk Maggs, who reveals why Space makes for such good radio.
Samira also takes some giant leaps of her own in an astronaut’s space suit.
Our flight plan includes:
* The opening episode of Charles Chilton's ground breaking 'Journey In To Space’
* Alexey Leonov’s first ever space walk in 'Two Sides Of The Moon'
* Astronaut Kathryn Thornton on the solitude of space in the documentary 'Alone'
* A reimagining of man landing the moon in 'One Small Step'.
* Helen Keen looks at our obsession with travelling to Mars in 'It Is Rocket Science',
* Stephen Baxter heads to Mars in Dirk Maggs produced 'Voyage'
* Chris Hadfield’s nail-biting return from his biography 'An Astronaut's Guide To Life On Earth'.
Along the way - extra insight with selected moments from 'Soul Music', 'Just A Minute', Nick Mohammed's 'Apollo 21', 'Saturday Live' and 'A Night With Helen Sharman'.
So assume your launch position, this mission is set to take off in 5...4...3...2...1......
SAT 12:00 It's Not What You Know (b036v9hd)
Series 2
Episode 2
Frank Skinner, Grace Dent and Jonathan Agnew each nominate someone they know well to answer a series of questions and they than have to second guess how they answered.
Host Miles Jupp tests Frank on how well he knows his friend and radio co-host Emily Dean, Grace her best friend, the Times columnist Caitlin Moran, and Jonathan his wife's best friend Anne Davies.
What is Frank's favourite drink? Who is Grace's favourite writer? And what would Jonathan do if he wasn't a cricket commentator?
All answers and more will be revealed.
Producer: Sam Michell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.
SAT 12:30 Listen to Les (b0180fmx)
From 20/01/1985
Les Dawson pays tribute to a feisty barber, Cosmo Smallpiece chairs a chat show and with Les at the piano, the Ink Blots help to murder a song.
With Daphne Oxenford, Eli Woods and Colin Edwynn.
Music by Brian Fitzgerald.
Scripted and produced by James Casey.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1985.
SAT 13:00 Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre: Omnibus (b073bkpx)
Episode 2
Charlotte Bronte's most beloved novel - the iconic and dangerous love story starring Amanda Hale and Tom Burke.
SAT 14:10 Inheritance Tracks (b073c1bc)
Ralph McTell
Singer-songwriter Ralph McTell chooses 'I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now' by the Dinning Sisters and 'Crossroads Blues' by Robert Johnson.
SAT 14:15 Drama (b01169k5)
Macmillan's Marvellous Motion Machine
Written by Jules Horne.
Young Scots country blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan is a man of ideas, like the velocipede - a clanking, pedalled contraption that's the ancestor of the modern bike.
The cranky, smoky voice of the velocipede is our narrator, and Kirkpatrick's constant companion. Kirkpatrick has been working on the velocipede for the past two years. Dreaming of fame, he's oblivious to girls' attentions, smitten instead with his velocipede, he's going to ride the 70 miles from Dumfries to Glasgow.
It's the summer of 1840, and a long way to go cross-country without brakes. But he'll get there quicker than the stagecoach. They'll see. First, he meets Gavin Dalziel, an engineer. Dalziel takes a mighty interest in the velocipede, measures it up and rushes to his workshop, but Pate is too naive to notice. Pate and the velocipede clank to the top of the final hill and then: Glasgow! In the city, he grazes a small girl and is hauled up in court for dangerous driving.
The velocipede is seen as a treacherous contraption, and he's found guilty and fined for dangerous driving. He's mortified and finally crushed. When he and the velocipede eventually arrive home, the shameful news has got there before him. Fury drives him out in search of a wife. He strides into the kitchens at Drumlanrig Castle and asks the maids who wants the job. And there's one who laughs and takes him up on it. Gavin Dalziel becomes rich and famous as the inventor of the pedal bicycle. The bicycle is delighted. Kirkpatrick stops inventing and has a grand life.
Cast:
Kirkpatrick MacMillan ..... Scott Hoatson
Machine ..... John Kazek
Catherine ..... Gabriel Quigley
Duke ..... Gavin Mitchell
Duchess ..... Isabella Jarrett
Wee Toddy ..... Leo MacNeill
Director: Rosie Kellaghe.
SAT 15:00 Archive on 4 (b00yztnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SAT 16:00 Frederick Bradnum - The Girl Who Didn't Want To Be... (b0736s54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SAT 17:30 Tony Hawks's Guide to the Guides (b0075w80)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SAT 18:00 The Twilight Zone (b073c5xm)
Series 3
Black Leather Jackets
When newcomers move to a small town, suspicions are aroused. Then one of them falls in love with a local.
Starring Marshall Allman. With Elizabeth Ledo, Christian Stolte, Jason Bradley, Doug James and Franette Leibow.
Narrator: Stacy Keach.
Adapted by Dennis Etchison and written by Earl Hamner Jr.

Originally a cult sci-fi and horror TV series created by Rod Serling and broadcast in the USA on CBS from 1959 to 1964, The Twilight Zone was first adapted by American producer Carl Amari in 2002 as a 40-minute radio drama series.
Rod Serling had managed to electrify the new medium of television - so armed with a licence from CBS and the Serling estate, Amari's slick adaptions are based on the original TV scripts.
Actor Stacy Keach (best known here as TV detective Mike Hammer) takes Serling's original role as narrator - with a full cast, music and sound effects.
Directed and produced by Carl Amari and Roger Wolski for Falcon Picture Group.
SAT 18:40 James Follett - The Pentworth Trilogy (b007jr9r)
Temple of the Winds
Episode 2
After the storm, teenager Vikki Taylor has told no-one about the strange crab-like device she has seen. Read by Nigel Anthony.
SAT 19:00 Floating In Space (b073bhqc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SAT 22:00 Vivian Stanshall's Radio Flashes (b04cfgqq)
Episode 1
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band singer Vivian Stanshall took to the airwaves of BBC Radio 1 on Saturday 14th August 1971.
Over 2 hours, re-live Vivian's mix of zany comedy and music - including his take on Dick Barton's radio serial "Breath from the Pit". Featuring drummer Keith Moon from The Who.
Vivian has previously featured on 4 Extra - thanks to his solo comedy 'Sir Henry at Rawlinson End', which originated as sessions for the John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1 in the mid-1970s.
With Chris Bowler. Produced by John Walters.


SUNDAY 13 MARCH 2016

SUN 00:00 The Twilight Zone (b073c5xm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Saturday]
SUN 00:40 James Follett - The Pentworth Trilogy (b007jr9r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:40 on Saturday]
SUN 01:00 Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre: Omnibus (b073bkpx)
[Repeat of broadcast at 13:00 on Saturday]
SUN 02:10 Inheritance Tracks (b073c1bc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:10 on Saturday]
SUN 02:15 Drama (b01169k5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Saturday]
SUN 03:00 Archive on 4 (b00yztnk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 on Saturday]
SUN 04:00 Frederick Bradnum - The Girl Who Didn't Want To Be... (b0736s54)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Saturday]
SUN 05:30 Tony Hawks's Guide to the Guides (b0075w80)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Saturday]
SUN 06:00 Jacqueline Susann - Valley of the Dolls (Omnibus) (b00mp6nc)
Episode 3
1956: Neely's Hollywood career has collapsed. Back in New York she and Anne go to see Neely's old rival Helen Lawson in a new show.
Conclusion of Jacqueline Susann's 1960s best seller. Three beautiful young women are best friends carving out careers in the entertainment industry.
Stars Madeleine Potter, Barbara Barnes, Kerry Shale, Sally Dexter and Coleen Prendergast.
Omnibus of episodes 11 to 15 of fifteen - dramatised by Yvonne Antrobus.
Producer: Claire Grove
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2005.
SUN 07:15 Clive Dunn - Definitely Dunn (b073ccby)
The Men From Walmington
Don't panic! Memories of Dad's Army star Clive Dunn, who played Lance-Corporal Jack Jones for nearly a decade on TV, radio and film between 1968 to 1977.
Recalling highlights from his first 50 years in entertainment, Clive recalls joining Dad's Army and his fellow cast members - and playing 'Buttons' in pantomime.
Clive was aged 68 at the time of recording. He died in Portugal in 2012, aged 92.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 1988.
SUN 07:30 Mr Blue Sky (b01gf5st)
Series 2
Happy 18th
Written by Andrew Collins
Harvey Easter (played by Mark Benton), 46, is the eternal optimist. He is able to see the good in every situation, the silver lining within every cloud, the bright side to every bit of bad news.
This, however, is his downfall. Someone for whom the glass is always half-full can be difficult to live with, as his wife of 19 years, Jacqui (played by Claire Skinner), knows all too well. Even as life deals Harvey and the Easter family a series of sadistic blows, Harvey looks on the positive side. It's pathological with him. The way Jax sees it, instead of dealing with the problems of their marriage and their teenage kids, Harvey's optimism is actually his way of avoiding engagement with the big issues.
Mr Blue Sky is about one man battling to remain positive in moments of crisis, and one woman battling to live with someone who has his head in the clouds.
This week, Harvey and Jax stand firm and inform Charlie that they can't afford to throw her an 18th birthday party, much to her displeasure, while Robbie's latest flirtation with drugs does not quite go as planned.
Cast
Harvey Easter ..... Mark Benton
Jacqui Easter ..... Claire Skinner
Charlie Easter ..... Rosamund Hanson
Robbie Easter ..... Tyger Drew Honey
Kill-R ..... Javone Prince
Rakesh Rathi ..... Navin Chowdhry
Dr Ray Marsh ..... Justin Edwards
Sean Calhoun ..... Michael Legge
Shop Assistant ..... Susy Kane
Producer: Anna Madley
An Avalon Production for BBC Radio 4.
SUN 08:00 ITMA - It's That Man Again (b073gr83)
From 24/06/1943
When Tommy Handley finds his wartime hotel is full of animals, he decides to start a circus.
ITMA proved to be one of the BBC's most popular radio comedies ever produced. It was first transmitted just before the start of the Second World War in 1939 and ran to 1949. Domestic audiences topped 20 million, and the audience worldwide was said to number 30 million. It starred Liverpudlian comic Tommy Handley, who with Ted Kavanagh created the series named after the phrase newspapers often used to describe Hitler: It's That Man Again!
The original setting on a ship was deemed inappropriate once war broke out, and was replaced with the Office Of Twerps, with Tommy as Minister of Aggravation and Mysteries. Other settings followed - a seaside resort, and a war factory which by 1943, for this run of episodes, had been turned into a hotel.
Featuring a host of supporting characters including Dorothy Summers as Mrs Mopp and Jack Train as Colonel Humphrey Chinstrap.
Producer: Francis Worsley
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in 1943.
SUN 08:30 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00j2j7c)
Series 2
Episode 8
A bizarre slice of Shakespeare - and a poem for a man with a plan.
A sequential entertainment for radio starring Ronnie Barker.
With Terence Brady, Pauline Yates and John Graham.
Pianist: Gordon Langford
Guitarist: Dick Abell.
Written by Chris Allen, Peter Campbell, Ted Clayton and Patrick Ennis, John Graham, Roy Lomax, Donald Monat and June Dixon, Frank A Terry and Harold Arpthorp.
Producer John Fawcett-Wilson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1972.
SUN 09:00 Seamus Heaney's Aeneid VI: Omnibus (b073grjb)
Made for 4 Extra. Poet Seamus Heaney's translation of Virgil's Aeneid, book VI in which Aeneas travels into the underworld to meet the spirit of his father. Read by Ian McKellen.
SUN 10:10 Inheritance Tracks (b073gtrg)
Joan Baez
American folk singer Joan Baez chooses 'Tonerna' sung by Jussi Bjorling and her own song 'Diamonds and Rust'.
SUN 10:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b073gv0l)
Comedy Writers
Richard Curtis
From the Beach Boys to Frank Sinatra, comedy writer Richard Curtis shares his castaway choices with Sue Lawley. From February 1999.
SUN 11:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b073gx6j)
Series 2
Rattlesnakes, Wedding Rings and Rescue Missions
True stories told live in the USA: Meg Bowles introduces tales of widowhood, overcoming adversity and life and death decisions.
The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling based in the USA. Since 1997, it has celebrated both the raconteur and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. Originally formed by the writer George Dawes Green as an intimate gathering of friends on a porch in Georgia (where moths would flutter in through a hole in the screen), and then recreated in a New York City living room, The Moth quickly grew to produce immensely popular events at theatres and clubs around New York City and later around the USA, the UK and other parts of the world.
The Moth has presented more than 15,000 stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. The Moth podcast is downloaded over 27 million times a year.
Featuring true stories told live on stage without scripts, from the humorous to the heart-breaking.
The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Jay Allison and Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts and is distributed by the Public Radio Exchange.
SUN 11:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00zt5xr)
Series 2
Wallace
It was the great travel books written in the 19th century by Alfred Russell Wallace that inspired Sir David Attenborough himself to achieve great things in the realm of natural history.
But Attenborough tells us that Wallace was more than just a great travel writer. His power of meticulous observation and recording as he explored many parts of the world were in the highest league imaginable, even for Victorian standards - and his power of analysis very much akin with Darwin, his great contemporary.
Wallace independently came up with a theory of evolution that was in parallel to Darwin's thinking - two field naturalists breaking huge conventions of the time and coming up with the single most important theory in Biology. How did they resolve the conflict between themselves?
Written and presented by David Attenborough
Producer: Julian Hector
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.
SUN 12:00 ITMA - It's That Man Again (b073gr83)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
SUN 12:30 Lines From My Grandfather's Forehead (b00j2j7c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
SUN 13:00 Jacqueline Susann - Valley of the Dolls (Omnibus) (b00mp6nc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
SUN 14:15 Clive Dunn - Definitely Dunn (b073ccby)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 today]
SUN 14:30 The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy (Omnibus) (b04mbwdy)
In Rachel Joyce's best-selling novel, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, Queenie Hennessy is told she has days to live. She sends a letter bidding goodbye to Harold Fry. It's a letter that inspires a walk, a cast of well-wishers, a journey of its own. Harold will save her. Harold's story began its life as an award-winning Radio 4 play.
In this Omnibus of the five-part dramatisation of this novel, there's a second letter - a quieter, longer, more complicated letter. Queenie reveals the shocking and beautiful truth of her life - a love song to the man she loves.
'It's all very well for a man to step out of his front door and tell his friend to wait while he walks the length of England. It's an entirely different kettle of fish when you are the woman at the other end.'
Queenie ..... Sophie Thompson
Harold ..... Paul Venables
Sister Mary Inconnue ..... Roslyn Hill
David ..... Monty D'Inverno
Sister Catherine ..... Elaine Claxton
Sister Lucy ..... Hannah Genesius
Finty ..... Jane Slavin
Mr Henderson ..... Michael Bertenshaw
Napier ..... Shaun Mason
Director: Tracey Neale.
First broadcast in five parts on BBC Radio 4 in 2014.
SUN 15:45 Elizabeth Buchan - Submersion (b007jwt4)
Mimi feels her family are drowning her. How can she keep head above water? Read by Patience Tomlinson.
SUN 16:00 David Pownall (b01sdqzy)
Blitzma
Tommy Handley was the man that made the nation laugh during the darkest days of the Second World War in his surreal wartime radio extravaganza ITMA (It's That Man Again)
Handley's main target was Adolf Hitler who can't understand why the British continue to defy him - until Goebbels explains it is all down to ITMA. So they decide to create their own Nazi version...
David Pownall's drama stars Sam Kelly as Goebbels, Gerard Murphy as Hitler, Stella Gonet as
Magda, John Forgeham as Churchill and Carolyn Backhouse as Helga.
Director: Martin Jenkins
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1999.
SUN 17:00 Poetry Extra: Visions of Paradise (b007rdlz)
BBC Radio 4's Poet in Residence, Daljit Nagra revisits the BBC's radio poetry archive.
'Visions of Paradise' features one of the towering achievements of world literature: John Milton's Paradise Lost. Written after he went blind, the programme is presented by Peter White, himself blind. Peter begins by talking to John Hull, the theologian, who also became blind, decades ago, at which point he decided to learn the opening section of Paradise Lost.
Producer: Mark Smalley
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2007.
SUN 17:30 Mr Blue Sky (b01gf5st)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 18:00 Wally K Daly (b073h06c)
2004
Out of a chaotic society generated by crime and violence steps a new Prime Minister with a mission, preaching a high-tech vision of a crime-free nation.
Bill Nighy stars in Wally K Daly's 1995 dystopian view of the year 2004.
Quinley …. Bill Nighy
Lyle …. Derek Waring
Franklin …. David Collings
Jason …. Michael Cochrane
Petra …. Christine Milwood
Quarme …. Anton Phillips
Director: David Hitchinson.
First broadcast on the BBC World Service in March 1995.
SUN 19:00 The Moth Radio Hour (b073gx6j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
SUN 19:50 David Attenborough's Life Stories (b00zt5xr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:50 today]
SUN 20:00 Seamus Heaney's Aeneid VI: Omnibus (b073grjb)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
SUN 21:10 Inheritance Tracks (b073gtrg)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:10 today]
SUN 21:15 Desert Island Discs Revisited (b073gv0l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:15 today]
SUN 22:00 Mr Blue Sky (b01gf5st)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
SUN 22:30 The Shuttleworths (b007jm4t)
Series 2
John Dries Up
John's ambitions to be a successful singer/songwriter suffer a mild setback.
Wife Mary is not impressed...
Written and performed by Graham Fellows.
Producer: Paul Schlesinger
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1995.
SUN 22:45 The In Crowd (b008m2b9)
Series 2
Episode 4
The perils of dry cleaning a leather jacket – and those odd people who live next door.
Sketch show from Manchester's Comedy Store.
With Robin Ince, Helen Moon, Smug Roberts and Kate Ward.
Producer: Graham Frost
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2002.
SUN 23:00 Newsjack (b07301mk)
Series 14
Episode 5
This week's stories lovingly bashed, mashed and moulded into sketches, one-liners and vox-pops written by the public. Trying to make sense of it all is our host, Nish Kumar.
Nish is joined this week by Daniel Barker, Natasia Demetriou and Alison Thea-Skot.
The Production Coordinator was Sophie Richardson.
Newsjack was produced by Paul Sheehan and Matt Stronge.
It was a BBC Radio Comedy Production.
SUN 23:30 The Nick Revell Show (b00d7n9s)
Series 2
All's Well That Ends Well... Well, Well, Well
Writer Nick is leading a charmed life, which naturally leaves him feeling anxious.
A sitcom for the 1990s, written by and starring comedian Nick Revell.
With:
Alistair McGowan
Doon MacKichan
Brian Bowles
Alison Sterling
John Guerrasio
Producer: Ioan Magnusson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 1993.


MONDAY 14 MARCH 2016

MON 00:00 Wally K Daly (b073h06c)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Sunday]
MON 01:00 Jacqueline Susann - Valley of the Dolls (Omnibus) (b00mp6nc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Sunday]
MON 02:15 Clive Dunn - Definitely Dunn (b073ccby)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:15 on Sunday]
MON 02:30 The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy (Omnibus) (b04mbwdy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Sunday]
MON 03:45 Elizabeth Buchan - Submersion (b007jwt4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 15:45 on Sunday]
MON 04:00 David Pownall (b01sdqzy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:00 Poetry Extra: Visions of Paradise (b007rdlz)
[Repeat of broadcast at 17:00 on Sunday]
MON 05:30 Mr Blue Sky (b01gf5st)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Sunday]
MON 06:00 Paul Temple (b00rlb29)
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case
1. The Unlucky One
Should Howard Gilbert hang for the murder of a model? The victim's father thinks he's innocent. The suave sleuth investigates.
Francis Durbridge's thriller stars Peter Coke as Paul Temple and Marjorie Westbury as Steve in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westbury
Charlie …. James Beattie
Wilfred Stirling …. Charles Leno
Sir Graham Forbes …. Lester Mudditt
Detective Inspector Kingston …. Duncan McIntyre
Betty Wayne …. Grizelda Hervey
Lance Reynolds …. Richard Williams
Dick Metcalf …. Cyril Shaps
From 1938 to 1969 the fictional crime novelist and detective Paul Temple, together with his Fleet Street journalist Steve, solved case-after-case in one of BBC radio's most popular series. They inhabited a sophisticated world of chilled cocktails and fast cars.
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in March 1954.
MON 06:30 The Great Architect of Home (b00jjjpv)
4 Extra Debut. Susan Marling pays tribute to the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and assesses his influence on house design. From April 2009.
MON 07:00 The Right Time (b0076mqw)
Series 4
Episode 6
The wine police are called - and a couple take up Satanism.
Sketch show about growing older disgracefully.
Stars Eleanor Bron, Dudley Sutton, Roger Blake, Paula Wilcox. Clive Swift and Barry Cryer.
Written by Nicholas Barber & Glenn Dakin, Jill Brodie & John Pidgeon, Barry Cryer, Jan Etherington, Ronnie Golden, Mike Haskins, Simon Littlefield, George Poles and Chris Thompson & Pete Reynolds.
Script editor: George Poles.
Music by Ronnie & The Rex.
Producer: Katie Marsden
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2004.
MON 07:30 Just a Minute (b072j3g2)
Series 74
Episode 3
Stephen Fry, Jenny Eclair, Josie Lawrence and Nish Kumar join host Nicholas Parsons to play Britain's longest running and best loved panel game. Topics tackled without deviation, hesitation or repetition include Salvador Dali, The Great Fire of London and The Easter Bunny.
Produced by Victoria Lloyd.
MON 08:00 Dad's Army (b007jr7l)
Series 3
Time on my Hands
The Home Guard platoon try to capture a German pilot hanging off the Town Hall clock in Walmington-on-Sea.
Starring Arthur Lowe as Captain Mainwaring, John Le Mesurier as Sergeant Wilson, Clive Dunn as Corporal Jones, John Laurie as Private Frazer, Arnold Ridley as Private Godfrey, Ian Lavender as Private Pike, Bill Pertwee as Hodges, Frank Williams as the Vicar, Larry Martyn as Private Walker, Erik Chitty as Mr Parsons and Fraser Kerr as the German pilot.
Adapted for radio from Jimmy Perry and David Croft's TV scripts by Harold Snoad and Michael Knowles.
Producer: John Dyas
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1976.
MON 08:30 Listen to Les (b01ms5j6)
From 27/01/1985
Les Dawson is Wotan, Man of Steel and Auntie Ada recalls her wartime adventures with the troops.
With Daphne Oxenford, Eli Woods and Colin Edwynn.
Music by Brian Fitzgerald.
Scripted and produced by James Casey.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in January 1985.
MON 09:00 Quote... Unquote (b01l04d8)
A new series of Radio 4's popular quotations programme 'Quote ... Unquote'.
The show is presented by Nigel Rees, who also devised it, and the guests are Samira Ahmed, Simon Jones, Dominic Sandbrook and Dominic Lawson. The reader is Peter Jefferson.
Producer: Ed Morrish.
MON 09:30 King Street Junior (b007jmkq)
Series 6
Travellers
A delicate mission for Mr Sims, and Mrs Rudd gets a shock from the school's new sponsor. High school comedy stars Karl Howman. From June 1991.
MON 10:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017ptch)
The New Men
Lewis Eliot is involved in the power struggle between scientists and politicians during World War Two, when he oversees as a secret wartime project.
CP Snow's epic novel sequence about the English Establishment and Power
Lewis Eliot ... David Haig
Martin Eliot ... Tim McInnerny
Walter Luke ... Jeremy Swift
Irene ... Claire Skinner
David Rubin ... Rolf Saxon
Sawbridge ... Adrian Scarborough
Edgar ... Andrew Wincott
Captain Smith ... Sean Baker
Sir Hector ... John Carlisle
Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway
Directed by Jeremy Howe and Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2003.
MON 11:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015pb1m)
Episode 1
Eleanor Bron reads Michael Holroyd's biography of Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, the two greats of the Victorian stage.
When Ellen's first marriage breaks down, she lives up to her "fallen woman" reputation by running off with a friend of Oscar Wilde and only returns to the stage when debts begin to mount.
Abridged by Richard Hamilton.
Producer: Justine Willett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2008.
MON 11:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007k2cy)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Beryl Coronet
Who has stolen jewels from one of the treasures of the Empire? The detective investigates snowy Streatham. With Clive Merrison.
MON 12:00 Dad's Army (b007jr7l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 12:30 Listen to Les (b01ms5j6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 13:00 Paul Temple (b00rlb29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 13:30 The Great Architect of Home (b00jjjpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ng4h9)
Patricia Ferguson - The Midwife's Daughter
Episode 6
By Patricia Ferguson
Read by Joanna Tope
The new novel by Patricia Ferguson is the compassionate and moving story of two sisters and the young black orphan who changes their lives.
Grace has caught the eye of young Tommy Dando. And Violet learns the astonishing truth about her adopted daughter.
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane.
MON 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d1kvq)
Signals of Growth
When in 1934 botanist Kenneth Thimann isolated the plant hormone auxin, he put an end to one of the great botanical mysteries - how plants move and respond to their surroundings. For decades plant scientists had been mystified as to how plants, without any apparent nervous system, bent towards light, flowered at the right time of year, or grew away from other plants.
Professor Kathy Willis hears from historian Jim Endersby on how the discovery of plant hormones was the culmination of a journey that had involved Charles Darwin and a series of probing experiments published in his book "The Power of Movement in Plants". They discuss how new technologies enabled successful isolation of what we now have come to recognise as a suite of hormones regulating a whole series of plant responses from stem growth to fruiting.
We hear how another hormone during the 1950s went on to steal the limelight - gibberellin whose discovery owes much to Japanese rice crops that grew so tall they would simply fall over, rendering them useless. The race to harness the power of gibberellin would lead to dwarf varieties of key crops that transformed global production in what became known as the Green Revolution.
Professor Nick Harberd, a plant geneticist at Oxford University, has been researching the molecular basis of plants' response to this powerful hormone and he sheds light on developing crops suitable for harsher environments in future.
Producer: Adrian Washbourne
MON 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b011j48h)
Kieran Prendiville - Once More with Feeling
Episode 1
By Kieran Prendiville. A comedy drama set in the no-prisoners world of northern social clubs.
Its protagonist is Les Bone, a plumber who once came within sniffing distance of the big time when his band Nuclear Dump went mega.....without him.
Les got fired the day before the band cut its first hit single. Which, like the album it came from, went platinum. Making it the most expensive sex of Les' life...being the price he paid for getting caught with the lead singer's girlfriend.
And now, twenty five years down the line, still unlucky in love, single-parent Les has been tossed a second chance. His kids have a boyband (even if one of them is a girl) and they're a boy short for an upcoming tour of south Yorkshire, one of the hardest enclaves in clubland.
Les and The Family Bone are to share a coach with a spangly jacketed blue nosed comic, a bad impressionist and a driver who can fart the 1812 overture...if anyone would let him.
Cast:
Les ..... Paul Copley
Sheila ...... Belinda Everett
Elaine ...... Blue Merrick
Denny ...... Christian Rodska
Chris ...... Harry Hepple
Alan/Scotch Billy ..... Rob Hudson
Kevin ..... Brogan West
Troy ..... James Baxter
Kimberly/Nurse ..... Joan Walker
Compere ..... Kieran Prendiville
Produced and directed By Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 14:45 Book of the Week (b00zzr1h)
Ken Campbell: The Great Caper
Episode 1
Ken Campbell, who died in September 2008, was one of the great mavericks of British theatre.
Ill-suited to a role in conventional theatre, he created a risk-taking confrontational style of performance, which often explored unlikely subject matter. He became, in director Mike Leigh's words, "The outsider's outsider"
Bob Hoskins, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent are amongst the performers whose formative years were spent working with Campbell. What did the director and producer bring to performance that made him such a mesmeric figure?
Michael Coveney's biography tells the story of Campbell, the great adventurer of British theatre.
Writer Michael Coveney is a long-standing theatre critic, who has worked for The Financial Times, The Observer and The Daily Mail. Actor Toby Jones played Truman Capote in 'Infamous' and Swifty Lazar in 'Frost/Nixon' and recently reprised the role of Dobby in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. Toby has also appeared in a production of 'The Warp' by Neil Oram, the 22-hour epic created by Ken Campbell.
Read by Toby Jones
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.
MON 15:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017ptch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
MON 16:00 Quote... Unquote (b01l04d8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
MON 16:30 King Street Junior (b007jmkq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
MON 17:00 The Right Time (b0076mqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
MON 17:30 Just a Minute (b072j3g2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmxh)
Operation Luna
11. To the Moon or Venus?
The Voice invites Captain Jet Morgan and his crew to meet him, but Lemmy is soon feeling terrified...
Futuristic tale set in 1965 as first broadcast in 1953.
CAST:
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts by David Jacobs and Deryck Guyler.
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
Written in 13-parts and produced by Charles Chilton.
Though first heard in 1953, the original recordings were wiped.
Re-recording first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1958.
MON 18:30 A Good Read (b00763lt)
Sir George Martin & Jeremy Clarke
Louise Doughty and her guests - the late, legendary record producer, Sir George Martin and freelance journalist Jeremy Clarke - discuss books with a travel theme by John Lightfoot, Christopher Lee and Vitaly Vitaliv. From 2001.
The Spanish Connection by John Lightfoot
Publisher: Blake's True Crime Library
Eight Bells and Topmasts by Christopher Lee
Publisher: Headline
Borders Up by Vitaly Vitaliv
Publisher: Scribner.
MON 19:00 Dad's Army (b007jr7l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
MON 19:30 Listen to Les (b01ms5j6)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
MON 20:00 Paul Temple (b00rlb29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
MON 20:30 The Great Architect of Home (b00jjjpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
MON 21:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015pb1m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
MON 21:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007k2cy)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
MON 22:00 Just a Minute (b072j3g2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
MON 22:30 Chris Addison's Civilization (b00f68lx)
A Sense of Identity
Chris Addison reveals how "culture" gives a civilisation a sense of identity, and Professor Herring tells all about a conference on deckchairs
Continuing his journey through the vast and rich subject of civilisation, the thinking-idiot's anthropologist explains exactly what we need to create a new one.
With:
Professor Austin Herring (Geoffrey McGivern)
Jo Enright
Dan Tetsell
Producer: Simon Nicholls
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2006.
MON 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b074v8v4)
From 10pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats to Paul Kaye.
MON 23:00 The Now Show (b072n8fq)
Series 48
Episode 2
Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis are joined by Suzi Ruffell, Jon Holmes, Mitch Benn and Jessica Ransom to present the week in news through stand-up and sketches.
This week the gang explore the binary nature of news reporting and discuss the implications of a future dominated by Artificial Intelligence with Dr Nick Hawes of Birmingham University.
MON 23:30 Elvenquest (b016c8y5)
Series 3
Episode 2
As they continue their search for the Sword of Asnagar, the noble Questers are lead to a quiet countryside town, which they’ve heard may hold their prize.
But it’s been razed to the ground by ruthless barbarians, lead by blood-thirsty Ragnar Half-tooth, who’s taken the Sword taken as booty. In order to get it back, the Questers decide to masquerade as barbarians and enter Ragnar's camp...
Meanwhile, Kreech tells Lord Darkness that his annual regeneration is coming up and that he needs to get some sleep in order to avoid meeting the new Dawn which will send his body crumbling into dust.
Problem is, getting to sleep when it really matters is easier said than done. And Lord Darkness is suddenly overcome by a nasty bout of insomnia...
Fantasy-based sitcom set in Lower Earth written by Anil Gupta and Richard Pinto.
Vidar ...... Darren Boyd
Dean/Kreech ...... Kevin Eldon
Amis aka The Chosen One ...... Dave Lamb
Lord Darkness ...... Alistair McGowan
Sam ...... Stephen Mangan
Ragnar Half-tooth ...... Daniel Rigby
Penthiselea ...... Sophie Winkleman
Producer: Sam Michell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2011.


TUESDAY 15 MARCH 2016

TUE 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmxh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Monday]
TUE 00:30 A Good Read (b00763lt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Monday]
TUE 01:00 Paul Temple (b00rlb29)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Monday]
TUE 01:30 The Great Architect of Home (b00jjjpv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ng4h9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Monday]
TUE 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d1kvq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Monday]
TUE 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b011j48h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Monday]
TUE 02:45 Book of the Week (b00zzr1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Monday]
TUE 03:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017ptch)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:00 Quote... Unquote (b01l04d8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Monday]
TUE 04:30 King Street Junior (b007jmkq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Monday]
TUE 05:00 The Right Time (b0076mqw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Monday]
TUE 05:30 Just a Minute (b072j3g2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Monday]
TUE 06:00 Paul Temple (b00rlwgt)
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case
2. The Third Shoe
Howard Gilbert has been convicted for the murder of his model girlfriend, Brenda. But did he really kill her?

The debonair sleuth and his wife pay him a visit in jail.

Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife

Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westbury
Charlie …. James Beattie
Wilfred Stirling …. Charles Leno
Detective Inspector Kingston …. Duncan McIntyre
Lance Reynolds …. Richard Williams
Howard Gilbert …. David Peel
Mrs Talbot …. Anne Cullen
Dick Metcalf …. Cyril Shaps
Warder …. Geoffrey Bond

Producer: Martyn C Webster

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1954.
TUE 06:30 Peggy Seeger: In Her Prime (b00vcpbf)
Sara Parker presents a radio portrait of Peggy Seeger, the American folksinger and political activist who was Ewan MacColl's long-time partner.
This year, Peggy returns to live once again in Britain, to be near her extended family and to explore new creative avenues. For many years her own 'song-making', as she calls it, was overshadowed by MacColl's, with whom she lived for three decades in this country. Together they produced three children, countless recordings (including the iconic 'First Time Ever I Saw Your Face' with MacColl wrote for her) and, with Sara Parker's father Charles, the celebrated 'Radio Ballads'.
Her creative life has also been lived in relation to the success of her folk-singer brothers, Pete and Mike, and partly in the shadow of her parents, the avant-garde composer Ruth Crawford Seeger and the ethnomusicologist Charles Seeger.
Now, in her prime, she tells Sara what's brought her to this point, about her growing and creatively energetic family, how she feels about the loss of loved ones and about the strength she gets from her new partner, the Irish singer Irene Pyper-Scott.
Producer: Alan Hall
A Falling Tree Production first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2010
TUE 07:00 55 and Over (b01nxh1h)
2. Love Struck
Ray and Jane are both starting over with new paramours half their age. Despite the age gap it seems older does not always mean wiser.
Apparently it's not only teenagers that act like love-struck, tongue-tied fools.
Juliet Stevenson and Philip Jackson star in Peter Souter's comedy about love, sex and other foolhardy mistakes made by the modern 50-pluser.
Jane ..... Juliet Stevenson
Ray ..... Philip Jackson
Tony ..... Patrick Brennan
Heather ..... Liza Sadovy
Honey ..... Stephanie Racine
Sam ..... Adam Nagaitis
Honey's Dad ..... Robert Blythe
Portia ..... Sarah Thom
Director: Helen Perry
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2012.
TUE 07:30 Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting (b007jshj)
Series 1
Coffins, Funerals and Nursing Homes
Accompanying her neighbour Betty to a funeral, Linda encounters a mislaid eco warrior.
Comedy series written by and starring Linda Smith.
With Femi Elufowoju Jr, Jeremy Hardy, Margaret John, Chris Neill and Rob Newman.
Producer: Lucy Armitage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2001.
TUE 08:00 Round the Horne (b00srqjv)
Series 4
Episode 5
Announcer Douglas Smith is taken for a spin in 'Relatively Grand Prix' - and at the Bona Male Model Agency, Julian and Sandy sign up some brand new talent.
Stars Kenneth Horne, Kenneth Williams, Hugh Paddick and Betty Marsden.
Recorded at the BBC's Paris Studio in Lower Regent Street, London. Announcer: Douglas Smith
Round The Horne was born out of the demise of BBC radio comedy Beyond Our Ken, after the end of writer Eric Merriman's involvement. Using the same cast and producer, Barry Took and Marty Feldman were persuaded to write the scripts - which led to four series that ran between 1965 and 1968 - packed full of parodies, recurring characters, catchphrases and double-entendres.
Marty Feldman had moved on so series 4 is written by Barry Took with Brian Cooke & Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Webster.
Music by the Max Harris Group.
Producer: John Simmonds
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in March 1968.
TUE 08:30 The Men from the Ministry (b007jlvm)
A Private Affair
The bumbling bureaucrats cause chaos as London's new airport opens - in Scotland.
A weekly tribute to all those who work in government departments.
Stars Richard Murdoch and Deryck Guyler. With Norma Ronald, Ronald Baddiley, John Graham and Clive Dunn.
Written by Edward Taylor and John Graham.
'The Men from the Ministry' ran for 14 series between 1962 and 1977. Deryck Guyler replaced Wilfrid Hyde-White from 1966. Sadly many episodes didn't survive in the archive, however the BBC's Transcription Service re-recorded 14 shows in 1980 - never broadcast in the UK, until the arrival of BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Producer: Edward Taylor
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 in April 1973.
TUE 09:00 The Now Show (b072n8fq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 23:00 on Monday]
TUE 09:30 Mr and Mrs Smith (b019rpw8)
The Dinner Party
A year into married life and already things are a little creaky. So, following Will's unimaginative anniversary present (a draining rack), Annabelle's signed them up for a course of marriage counselling.
Counsellor Guy mediates a recent dispute between Will and Annabelle, with flashbacks to the events that spawned the argument...
Will Smith's sitcom about a couple in marriage counselling
Will Smith ..... Will Smith
Annabelle Smith ..... Sarah Hadland
Guy ..... Paterson Joseph
Katrina ..... Tracy Wiles
Doug ..... Simon Bubb
Heather ..... Morwenna Banks
Producer: Tilusha Ghelani
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2012.
TUE 10:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017pwt0)
Homecomings
As the Cold War intensifies, a spy appears to be at large within Britain's nuclear research programme.
CP Snow's epic novel sequence about the English Establishment and Power.
Lewis Eliot ... David Haig
Martin Eliot ... Tim McInnerny
Walter Luke ... Jeremy Swift
Magaret Davidson ... Juliet Aubrey
Sawbridge ... Adrian Scarborough
Captain Smith ... Sean Baker
Sir Thomas Beville ... Rober Laing
Austin Davidson ... David Collings
Sir Hector Rose ... John Carlisle
Captain Smith ... Sean Baker
Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway.
Directed by Jeremy Howe and Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2003.
TUE 11:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015pcqk)
Episode 2
Weakly John Brodribb's transformation into Victorian stage great Henry Irving. Eleanor Bron reads Michael Holroyd's biography.
TUE 11:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007k2fc)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Copper Beeches
A young governess consults the detective in a most sinister case. Starring Clive Merrison, Michael Williams and Imogen Stubbs.
TUE 12:00 Round the Horne (b00srqjv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 12:30 The Men from the Ministry (b007jlvm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 13:00 Paul Temple (b00rlwgt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 13:30 Peggy Seeger: In Her Prime (b00vcpbf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ng83m)
Patricia Ferguson - The Midwife's Daughter
Episode 7
By Patricia Ferguson
Read by Joanna Tope
The new novel by Patricia Ferguson is the compassionate and moving story of two sisters and the young black orphan who changes their lives.
Grace is injured in an unexpected attack while Violet is away. She becomes dangerously ill and is looked after by both her mother and her aunt.
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane.
TUE 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4hq2)
Unlocking Biodiversity
In 1947 an ambitious project began to survey and catalogue the biodiversity of plants in East Africa. It was to take 60 years and turned out to be one of the largest regional "floras" ever assembled, involving 135 botanists from 21 countries amassing a host of new species to science.
Professor Kathy Willis examines the deceptive simplicity of creating Floras - books in which plants are catalogued, described and often lavishly illustrated. She explores how they're proving powerful tools for unlocking the range of newly discovered species for plant enthusiasts and conservationists.
And she unlocks the secrets of the rigorous art of botanical illustration, a tradition that goes back as far as when the botanical impresario Sir Joseph Banks first employed an illustrator on board the Endeavour. Kathy Willis discovers why this discipline is unlikely to ever be superseded by photography.
With contributions from Henke Beentje, former editor of Flora of Tropical East Africa, senior botanist Iain Darbyshire, Quentin Luke of National Museum of Kenya and illustrator Lucy Smith
Producer: Adrian Washbourne
TUE 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b011ld3s)
Kieran Prendiville - Once More with Feeling
Episode 2
By Kieran Prendiville. A comedy drama set in the no-prisoners world of northern social clubs.
Its protagonist is Les Bone, a plumber who once came within sniffing distance of the big time when his band Nuclear Dump went mega.....without him.
And now, twenty five years down the line, still unlucky in love, single-parent Les has been tossed a second chance. His kids have a boyband (even if one of them is a girl) and they're a boy short for an upcoming tour of south Yorkshire, one of the hardest enclaves in clubland.
As the family band hits the road, Les meets an old flame and receives devastating news about daughter Sheila.
Cast:
Les ..... Paul Copley
Sheila ...... Belinda Everett
Elaine ...... Blue Merrick
Denny ...... Christian Rodska
Chris ...... Harry Hepple
Alan/Scotch Billy ..... Rob Hudson
Kevin ..... Brogan West
Troy ..... James Baxter
Kimberly/Nurse ..... Joan Walker
Compere ..... Kieran Prendiville
Producer/Director: Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 14:45 Book of the Week (b0101kyv)
Ken Campbell: The Great Caper
Episode 2
Michael Coveney's biography tells the story of Campbell, the great adventurer of British theatre.
Campbell's disastrous experience at the Royal Court Theatre in London shapes the direction of his career. With the Roadshow he takes theatre to the people.
Ken Campbell, who died in September 2008, was one of the great mavericks of British theatre.
Ill-suited to a role in conventional theatre, he created a risk-taking confrontational style of performance, which often explored unlikely subject matter.
He became, in director Mike Leigh's words, "The outsider's outsider"
Bob Hoskins, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent are amongst the performers whose formative years were spent working with Campbell. What did the director and producer bring to performance that made him such a mesmeric figure?
Writer Michael Coveney is a long-standing theatre critic, who has worked for The Financial Times, The Observer and The Daily Mail. Actor Toby Jones played Truman Capote in 'Infamous' and Swifty Lazar in 'Frost/Nixon' and recently reprised the role of Dobby in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. Toby has also appeared in a production of 'The Warp' by Neil Oram, the 22-hour epic created by Ken Campbell.
Read by Toby Jones
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.
TUE 15:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017pwt0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
TUE 16:00 It's Your Round (b00zm32d)
Series 1
Episode 6
Angus Deayton hosts the comedy panel show with no format.
Johnny Vaughan, Alan Davies, Roisin Conaty and Arthur Smith battle it out to see who can beat each other at their own games each has brought along.
Angus valiantly tries to make sure everyone comes out of it with their reputations intact.
Writers: Angus Deayton, Ged Parsons and Paul Powell
Devised by Benjamin Partridge
Producer: Sam Michell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2011.
TUE 16:30 Mr and Mrs Smith (b019rpw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
TUE 17:00 55 and Over (b01nxh1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
TUE 17:30 Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting (b007jshj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmyk)
Operation Luna
12. A Rocky Send Off
After travelling through time, could Captain Jet Morgan and his crew be bound for home at last?
Futuristic tale set in 1965 as first broadcast in 1953.
CAST:
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts by David Jacobs and Deryck Guyler.
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
Written and produced by Charles Chilton.
Though first heard in 1953, the original recordings were wiped.
Re-recording first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1958.
TUE 18:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007w2my)
Series 1
Alhambra
Peek behind the facade of the Odeon Cinema in London’s Leicester Square as Geoffrey Wheeler seeks out traces of the variety theatre which once stood in its place - the Alhambra.
From the earliest days of the 20th century until its closure in the 1930s, the Alhambra was one of the capital’s premier Variety venues. But it fell foul of the rising popularity of cinema and radio and was forced to close.
Geoffrey rediscovers the Alhambra's fine legacy.
With Roy Hudd.
Series visiting variety theatres around the United Kingdom.
Producer: Libby Cross
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2002.
TUE 19:00 Round the Horne (b00srqjv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
TUE 19:30 The Men from the Ministry (b007jlvm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
TUE 20:00 Paul Temple (b00rlwgt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
TUE 20:30 Peggy Seeger: In Her Prime (b00vcpbf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
TUE 21:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015pcqk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
TUE 21:15 Sherlock Holmes (b007k2fc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
TUE 22:00 Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting (b007jshj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
TUE 22:30 Tim FitzHigham: The Gambler (b0414qv8)
Series 1
Episode 3
Can comedian-author-adventurer Tim FitzHigham outrun a racehorse over a hundred yard dash?
He turns to Kriss Akabusi and his former school PE teacher for training advice.
Series in which Tim recreates bizarre bets from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Written by and starring Tim FitzHigham with Olivia Fitzroy and Bob Slayer.
Additional material written by Jon Hunter and Paul Byrne.
Producer: Colin Anderson.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2014.
TUE 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b074v94f)
From 10pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats again to Paul Kaye.
TUE 23:00 World of Pub (b00cm91k)
Series 2
Episode 3
Dodgy Phil hatches a sporting scheme to improve the fortunes of Barry and Garry's bar.
Tony Roche's comedy about the world's worst pub in London's East End.
Dodgy Phil ...... John Thomson
Barry ...... Phil Cornwell
Garry ...... Alistair McGowan
With Debra Stephenson, Kim Wall and Tony Roche.
Special effects: Carl Phillips and Nick Romero.
Music: Bill Bailey
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 1999.
TUE 23:30 Think the Unthinkable (b00cqh5b)
Series 2
Nambitrea
The consultants advise an African finance minister, and Ryan carries a package. Stars Marcus Brigstocke. From December 2002.


WEDNESDAY 16 MARCH 2016

WED 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmyk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Tuesday]
WED 00:30 The Palace of Laughter (b007w2my)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Tuesday]
WED 01:00 Paul Temple (b00rlwgt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Tuesday]
WED 01:30 Peggy Seeger: In Her Prime (b00vcpbf)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ng83m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Tuesday]
WED 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4hq2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Tuesday]
WED 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b011ld3s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Tuesday]
WED 02:45 Book of the Week (b0101kyv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Tuesday]
WED 03:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017pwt0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:00 It's Your Round (b00zm32d)
[Repeat of broadcast at 16:00 on Tuesday]
WED 04:30 Mr and Mrs Smith (b019rpw8)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Tuesday]
WED 05:00 55 and Over (b01nxh1h)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Tuesday]
WED 05:30 Linda Smith's A Brief History of Timewasting (b007jshj)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Tuesday]
WED 06:00 Paul Temple (b00rm20y)
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case
3. Peter Galino
After the discovery of the body of key witness, Mary Talbot, there's drama back at her flat - and suave sleuth Paul worries that wife Steve is in danger.
Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westbury
Charlie …. James Beattie
Wilfred Stirling …. Charles Leno
Detective Inspector Kingston …. Duncan McIntyre
Lance Reynolds …. Richard Williams
Betty Wayne …. Grizelda Hervey
Peter Galino …. Robert Rietty
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1954.
WED 06:30 A Celestial Star in Piccadilly (b00gl694)
Anna Chen presents a tribute to Hollywood's first Chinese-American movie star, Anna May Wong, star of the classic 1929 silent movie Piccadilly. Filmed in London, it made her a celebrity in Britain in the 1930s. Despite her talent, Wong struggled against racial prejudice throughout her career, and was banned from even kissing her leading men. However, her reputation is now enjoying a revival thanks to the restoration and re-release of Piccadilly.
Producer: Chris Eldon Lee
A Culture Wise Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 07:00 Married (b007wqdc)
Series 1
Episode 6
Robin is accused of murdering his "new" family.
Two small questions: how is he going to win his "new" wife back and how is he going to avoid the death penalty?
Hugh Bonneville stars in the conclusion of series one of Tony Bagley's comedy.
Robin ...... Hugh Bonneville
Lesley ...... Josie Lawrence
Dirk ...... Steve Frost
Julia ...... Barbara Murray
Elaine ...... Janet Ellis
DS Cotton ...... Simon Roberts
Murdo ...... Lewis MacLeod
Maxine ...... Ann Gosling
Ned ...... Sam Bradley
Producer Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1999.
WED 07:30 Chain Reaction (b072my2p)
Series 11
Ian Hislop interviews Victoria Coren-Mitchell
Comedian and satirist Ian Hislop turns interviewer as he talks to the writer and presenter Victoria Coren-Mitchell about her wide and varied career in writing, quizzing and cards.
Chain Reaction is the long running hostless chat show where this week's interviewee becomes next week's interviewer.
Ian Hislop is a long-standing team captain on 'Have I Got News for You' and the editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye. As a dedicated fan and student of history, he has made several acclaimed documentaries on wide-ranging subjects including conscientious objectors and The Beeching Report.
Victoria Coren-Mitchell is a columnist for The Observer and GQ amongst other publications and has presented myriad documentaries on subjects as varied as The Bohemians and Mary Poppins. As well as a prolific writing career, she keeps order on the popular and fiendishly difficult television quiz, 'Only Connect'. She is also well-known as one of the world's top professional poker players and has achieved huge success at the card table.
Producer: Richard Morris
A BBC Radio Comedy production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in March 2016.
WED 08:00 The Navy Lark (b01jzq5k)
Series 6
Navigation By Computer
HMS Troutbridge sails into the technological age, but can the crew keep up?

Stars Leslie Phillips as the Sub-Lieutenant, Jon Pertwee as the Chief Petty Officer, Stephen Murray as the Number One, Richard Caldicote as Captain Povey, Heather Chasen as Heather and Michael Bates as Lieutenant Bates, Ronnie Barker as Mr Merrivale and Tenniel Evans as the Admiral.

Laughs afloat aboard British Royal Navy frigate HMS Troutbridge. The Navy Lark ran for an impressive thirteen series between 1959 and 1976.

Scripted by Lawrie Wyman

Producer: Alastair Scott Johnston.

First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in November 1963.
WED 08:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b01321dr)
Series 8
Episode 6
The team sets out to cause full frontal offence, plus high drama on the railway.
Starring Tim Brooke-Taylor, Graeme Garden, David Hatch, Jo Kendall and Bill Oddie.
Sketches written by Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie - and Tim Brooke-Taylor.
Originating from the Cambridge University Footlights revue 'Cambridge Circus', ISIRTA ran for 8 years on BBC Radio and quickly developed a cult following.
Music and songs by Bill Oddie, Liam Cohen and Dave Lee.
Producer: David Hatch/Peter Titheradge
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in March 1970.
WED 09:00 It's Not What You Know (b0375sfk)
Series 2
Episode 3
Justin Moorhouse, Bridget Christie and Ainsley Harriott each nominate someone they know well to answer a series of questions and they than have to second guess how they answered.
Host Miles Jupp tests Bridget on how well she knows her best friend Rebecca Sewell, Ainsley his best friend, pitch doctor Paul Boross, and Justin his former radio producer Sean Gibson.
What is the one thing that DJ Justin does not like talking about? What is Bridget's worst fear? And who is Ainsley's worst habit?
All answers and more will be revealed.
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in July 2013.
WED 09:30 The Party Line (b00sythm)
Series 1
Episode 6
MP Duncan goes on a date - with the Opposition. Stars James Fleet. Topical sitcom by Punt and Dennis. From June 2005.
WED 10:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017sl4r)
The Affair
Back in Cambridge, a scandal threatens the reputation of Lewis Eliot's old college and his best friend.
CP Snow's epic novel sequence about the English Establishment and Power.
Lewis Eliot ... David Haig
Martin Eliot ... Tim McInnerny
Nightingale ... Jeremy Child
Crawford ... Hugh Quarshie
Jago ... Sean Barrett
Winslow ... Clive Merrison
Nightingale ... Jeremy Child
Dawson Hill ... Peter Blythe
Skeffington ... David Acton
Francis Getliffe ... Geoffrey Whitehead
Brown ... Jonathan Coy
Donald Howard ... David Tennant
Dramatised by Jonathan Holloway
Directed by Jeremy Howe and Sally Avens
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2003.
WED 11:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015sd2s)
Episode 3
After an American triumph, Henry Irving and Ellen Terry grow closer - until a death alters their romance. Read by Eleanor Bron.
WED 11:15 Drama (b00zlk09)
The Magnificent Andrea
The Magnificent Andrea is the first original radio play by NIGEL PLANER, famous for appearances in comedy and drama ranging from 'The Young Ones' to the recent 'Hairspray' in the West End. Nigel has created two wonderful characters, both in love with the same woman - who has just - tragically - died. One is her former husband, boozy columnist Barry (ROGER ALLAM) at the tail end of a career marked by low-achievement in pugnacious, snide journalism. The other is Andrea's recent partner until her sudden death: alternative but ultra-orthodox, politically-correct naturopath Nigel (NIGEL PLANER). We join Barry after a typically hearty breakfast on his way from Chelsea to attend the funeral in South London. (As he succinctly but tellingly puts it: 'In former times, a breakfast of egg on toast and two glasses of red wine would have cost considerably less than fifteen nicker') There he confronts his squeaky-clean nemesis Nigel. The lugubrious Barry is appalled at the ceremony: 'Andrea would have wanted a troupe of African drummers at her sending off, with mytho-poetic speeches by the priest, a Guetamalan shaman. What she got is a couple of hymns, a bit of Bible and a shunt into the automatic incinerator of Wandsworth Crematorium just off the A217') It is while milling outside that the basically decent Nigel makes the mistake of inviting Barry back to the house - Barry's house - for the reception. Now the fireworks really start.
Nigel Planer has created an explosive comedy drama as these two moral polarities collide, wrestling over the memory of their shared inspirational warrior woman, and of course, her home. Also a dark and funny play about mourning, loss and recovery as the cantankerous columnist's wit evaporates to reveal an unexpected tenderness.
CAST:
Barry ..... Roger Allam
Nigel ..... Nigel Planer
Tania/Receptionist ..... Sally Orrock
Taxi Driver ..... Brian Bowles
Preacher ..... Jane Whittenshaw
George ..... Sam Dale
Sarah/Waitress ..... Joanna Monro
Ambulance Driver ..... Stuart McLoughlin
Directed by Peter Kavanagh.
WED 12:00 The Navy Lark (b01jzq5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 12:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b01321dr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 13:00 Paul Temple (b00rm20y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 13:30 A Celestial Star in Piccadilly (b00gl694)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ngmjw)
Patricia Ferguson - The Midwife's Daughter
Episode 8
By Patricia Ferguson
Read by Joanna Tope
The new novel by Patricia Ferguson is the compassionate and moving story of two sisters and the young black orphan who changes their lives.
The War is taking its toll on the young men of the community. Grace is recovering and is offered a job in a convalescent home in Patricia Ferguson's story of two sisters and the young black orphan who changes their lives.
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane.
WED 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4mmq)
An Ill Wind
During the early hours of October 16th 1987, hurricane force winds ripped through southern England recording gusts of 110 mph. In just a few hours 15 million trees across the country were felled. Dawn revealed over 700 of Kew's trees sprawled on their sides, their root systems spread in the cool calm air after the storm.
Kathy Willis explores how one Kew oak tree - the Turner Oak - that didn't fall, helped transform the understanding of tree planting, arboreal care and provided insights into why trees stay upright.
She takes a walk with arborealist Tony Kirkham around Kew Gardens to learn how this natural clearout gave a once in a generation chance to rethink Kew's arboreal canvas. It also created an opportunity for the first-ever comprehensive tree root survey, which has since transformed our approach to tree planting and long-term care that's now finding its way into horticultural practices today.
Producer: Adrian Washbourne
WED 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b011l9th)
Kieran Prendiville - Once More with Feeling
Episode 3
By Kieran Prendiville. A comedy drama set in the no-prisoners world of northern social clubs.
Its protagonist is Les Bone, a plumber who once came within sniffing distance of the big time when his band Nuclear Dump went mega.....without him.
And now, twenty five years down the line, still unlucky in love, single-parent Les has been tossed a second chance. His kids have a boyband (even if one of them is a girl) and they're a boy short for an upcoming tour of south Yorkshire, one of the hardest enclaves in clubland.
The revelation about Sheila's real father threatens to fracture the family. Meanwhile Chris dies a comedy death, and comedian Denny takes full advantage.
Cast:
Les ..... Paul Copley
Sheila ...... Belinda Everett
Elaine ...... Blue Merrick
Denny ...... Christian Rodska
Chris ...... Harry Hepple
Alan/Scotch Billy ..... Rob Hudson
Kevin ..... Brogan West
Troy ..... James Baxter
Kimberly/Nurse ..... Joan Walker
Compere ..... Kieran Prendiville
Producer/Director: Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 14:45 Book of the Week (b0100x2s)
Ken Campbell: The Great Caper
Episode 3
Michael Coveney's biography tells the story of Campbell, the great adventurer of British theatre.
Campbell's Science Fiction Theatre of Liverpool presents his first epic, the nine-hour drama 'Illuminatus'.
Ken Campbell, who died in September 2008, was one of the great mavericks of British theatre.
Ill-suited to a role in conventional theatre, he created a risk-taking confrontational style of performance, which often explored unlikely subject matter.
He became, in director Mike Leigh's words, "The outsider's outsider"
Bob Hoskins, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent are amongst the performers whose formative years were spent working with Campbell. What did the director and producer bring to performance that made him such a mesmeric figure?
Writer Michael Coveney is a long-standing theatre critic, who has worked for The Financial Times, The Observer and The Daily Mail. Actor Toby Jones played Truman Capote in 'Infamous' and Swifty Lazar in 'Frost/Nixon' and recently reprised the role of Dobby in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. Toby has also appeared in a production of 'The Warp' by Neil Oram, the 22-hour epic created by Ken Campbell.
Read by Toby Jones
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.
WED 15:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017sl4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
WED 16:00 It's Not What You Know (b0375sfk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
WED 16:30 The Party Line (b00sythm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
WED 17:00 Married (b007wqdc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
WED 17:30 Chain Reaction (b072my2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 18:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmz0)
Operation Luna
13. Set Course for Earth
After blasting off, Captain Jet Morgan and his crew try to make sense of their mammoth trip through time.
Conclusion of the futuristic tale set in 1965 as first broadcast in 1953.
CAST:
Jet Morgan …. Andrew Faulds
Lemmy Barnett …. Alfie Bass
Doc …. Guy Kingsley-Poynter
Mitch …. David Williams
Other parts by David Jacobs and Deryck Guyler.
Music composed and orchestra conducted by Van Phillips.
Written and produced by Charles Chilton.
Though first heard in 1953, the original recordings were wiped.
Re-recording first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in 1958.
WED 18:30 Off the Page (b007718g)
The Snip
Dominic Arkwright discusses the pros and cons of vasectomy with Toby Young, Rory Clements and Anna Raeburn. From November 2006.
WED 19:00 The Navy Lark (b01jzq5k)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
WED 19:30 I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again (b01321dr)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
WED 20:00 Paul Temple (b00rm20y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
WED 20:30 A Celestial Star in Piccadilly (b00gl694)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
WED 21:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015sd2s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
WED 21:15 Drama (b00zlk09)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
WED 22:00 Chain Reaction (b072my2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
WED 22:30 Seekers (b03bs3tf)
Series 1
The New Seeker
Made redundant by an Essex job centre, Stuart must return to his former workplace.
He’s convinced he did a better job than his ex-colleagues who are still there. But he was content to work there, especially because of Senior Job Seeker Advisor, Nicola who he had a one night stand with during half time of the England- Portugal game in 2006. He still holds out for a relationship to blossom even though seven years have gone by.
Now stuck on the other side of the desk with the unemployed, Stuart is reunited with Joe and Terry two old school friends that Stuart outgrew eons ago.
Steven Burge’s comedy about the characters who frequent a Job Centre in the Essex town of Rayleigh.
Starring Matthew Horne and Daniel Mays.
Stuart ...... Mathew Horne
Joe ...... Daniel Mays
Terry ...... Tony Way
Nicola ...... Zahra Ahmadi
Dave Manager ...... Alex Lowe
Mr Dibble ...... Alex Lowe
Mr Manford ...... Alex Lowe
Mr Everett ...... Alex Lowe
Mr Gleason ...... Michael Bertenshaw
Mrs Wilcox ...... Philippa Stanton
Mrs Rahman ...... Bharti Patel
Gary Probert ...... Steve Oram
Producer: Katie Tyrrell.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in October 2013.
WED 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b074v9cf)
From 10pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats again to Paul Kaye.
WED 23:00 In and Out of the Kitchen (b01qw8m7)
Series 2
On Location
Damien is sent on location to the Lake District to film a chunk of his new series for Sky Arts about "poets and their palates".
But when the sunshine turns to driving rain, Damien's spirits are further dampened when it appears Anthony might not be missing him quite as much as he had hoped...
Written by Miles Jupp.
Damien Trench ...... Miles Jupp
Anthony MacIlveny ...... Justin Edwards
Gary McDade ...... Ben Crowe
Sound Man ...... Ben Crowe
Mr Mullaney ...... Brendan Dempsey
Marion Duffett ...... Lesley Vickerage
Producer: Sam Michell
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2013.
WED 23:30 At Home With The Snails (b00c8rbm)
Series 2
Episode 3
Snail obsessed Alex’s plan to rescue snails by bringing them home hits a snag..,
George and Beverly continue faking their deaths in order to bring their family closer.
Second series of Gerard Foster's comedy drama
George ..... Geoffrey Palmer
Beverley ..... Angela Thorne
Alex ..... Gerard Foster
Rose ..... Miranda Hart
Hosana ..... Debra Stephenson
Roger ..... Richie Webb
Producer: Jane Berthoud
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 2002.


THURSDAY 17 MARCH 2016

THU 00:00 Charles Chilton - Journey into Space (b007jmz0)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Wednesday]
THU 00:30 Off the Page (b007718g)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Wednesday]
THU 01:00 Paul Temple (b00rm20y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Wednesday]
THU 01:30 A Celestial Star in Piccadilly (b00gl694)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ngmjw)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Wednesday]
THU 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4mmq)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Wednesday]
THU 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b011l9th)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Wednesday]
THU 02:45 Book of the Week (b0100x2s)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Wednesday]
THU 03:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017sl4r)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:00 It's Not What You Know (b0375sfk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Wednesday]
THU 04:30 The Party Line (b00sythm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Wednesday]
THU 05:00 Married (b007wqdc)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Wednesday]
THU 05:30 Chain Reaction (b072my2p)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Wednesday]
THU 06:00 Paul Temple (b00rm4xk)
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case
4. La Mortella
Hot on the heels of a tip from Peter Galino, the debonair sleuth and wife Steve head to London's La Mortella club to hunt down more clues.
Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westbury
Charlie …. James Beattie
Sir Graham Forbes …. Lester Mudditt
Lynne Ferguson …. Peggy Hassard
Lance Reynolds …. Richard Williams
Louis Fabian …. Olaf Olsen
Waiter …. Arthur Lawrence
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1954.
THU 06:30 The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (b00s77wp)
Bob Dylan's biographer Howard Sounes casts new light on a song that has haunted two families for nearly 50 years - Dylan's account of the killing of a black hotel worker.
"The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" is part of both the history of folk music and the Civil Rights struggle, so familiar to Dylan fans that it is almost the stuff of legend, so shocking in content that it seems like a story from the days of slavery.
Yet this crime took place less than 50 years ago, and only few miles from where a black president sits in the White House.
On the evening of Friday 8 February 1963, William Zantzinger, 24-year-old owner of an old-style tobacco plantation, turned up drunk at a charity ball in Baltimore, Maryland. Hattie Carroll was one of the African-Americans serving the guests at a time when America was still segregated.
Zantzinger yelled at Carroll for not pouring his drink quickly enough and tapped her with his walking cane. Carroll collapsed and died of heart failure. She was 51 years old, and left 9 orphaned children, not ten as Dylan sang. Dylan was correct however in reporting that Zantzinger was lightly treated - he received six months for manslaughter.
Who was William Zantzinger and what is known about his victim? Howard Sounes, author of the celebrated Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan, introduces us to witnesses to the crime; we hear dialogue from the trial; and gain a fuller appreciation of killer and victim from their surviving friends. Sounes even locates Zantzinger's cane, an astonishing find which the presenter likens to handling John Dillinger's pistol.
We also hear Zantzinger's voice, cursing Dylan unrepentantly, in what is believed to be his only recorded interview before his recent death.
Producer: Sara Parker
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4 first broadcast in 2010.
THU 07:00 PG Wodehouse (b00bwtw9)
What Ho! Jeeves: Joy in the Morning
Fancy Dress
Bertie Wooster helps his fearsome Uncle Percy with a spot of dressing up.
P.G. Wodehouse’s romp adapted in seven-parts by Chris Miller.
CAST:
Jeeves …. Michael Hordern
Bertie Wooster …. Richard Briers
Boko Fittleworth …. Jonathan Cecil
Peter Worplesden …. Peter Woodthorpe
Nobby Hopwood …. Rosalind Adams
Stilton Cheesewright …. Michael Kilgarriff
Producer: Simon Brett
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978.
THU 07:30 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b072n5xp)
Series 1
Art with Phill Jupitus
Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows. She has no down time, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits) and her idea of relaxation is to play Grand Theft Auto, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky high blood pressure. Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday last year. Her first for four years. But she's been told by the same long-suffering wife, that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable.
So Susan is going to look at her options and try to immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing, to find her inner zen and outer tranquillity. Each week she will ditch the old Susan Calman and attempt to find the new Susan Calm, in a typically British leisure pursuit.
This time, she visits the Scottish National Portrait Gallery with Phill Jupitus.
Keep Calman Carry On is an audience stand up show in which Susan reports on how successful she's been - both at relaxing and at the pursuit itself - as well as playing in and discussing a handful of illustrative clips from her efforts. It's an attempt to find out how people find solace or sanctuary in these worlds and how Susan can negotiate her own place in them.
Producer: Lyndsay Fenner
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.
THU 08:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jnv2)
Series 6
Upstairs Downstairs, Upstairs Downstairs
Albert's laid up with a bad back leaving poor Harold overworked.
Starring Wilfrid Brambell as Albert and Harry H Corbett as Harold.
Written for TV and adapted for radio by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Albert ...... Wilfrid Brambell
Harold ...... Harry H Corbett
Doctor ...... Michael McClain
Following the conclusion of their hugely successful association with Tony Hancock, writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson wrote 10 pilots for the BBC TV's Comedy Playhouse in 1962. The Offer was set in a house with a yard full of junk, featuring the lives of rag and bone men Albert Steptoe and his son Harold and it was the spark for a run of 8 series for TV.
Producer: Bobby Jaye
First broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 in February 1976.
THU 08:30 Radio Active (b007js7f)
Series 3
Edinburgh Festival
Scotland beware! The national local radio station's weekly arts programme has special coverage of the Edinburgh Festival.
Starring:
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Angus Deayton
Geoffrey Perkins
Philip Pope
Michael Fenton-Stevens
Music by Philip Pope and Mike Schilling.
Written by Angus Deayton and Geoffrey Perkins. With Jon Canter, Richard Curtis, Helen Murray, Nick Wilton, Moray Hunter, John Docherty and Roger Planer.
Producer: Jamie Rix
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in August 1983.
THU 09:00 The Food Quiz (b073qz7y)
Series 1
Episode 6
On Jay Rayner's menu are Clement Freud, Charlie Hicks, Jennifer Sharp and Angela Hartnett. From October 2003.
THU 09:30 Beachcomber... By the Way (b008m24j)
Series 3
Episode 1
The further adventures of Mr Justice Cocklecarrot. Captain Foulenough, Dr Strabismus (whom God preserve) of Utrecht, Big White Carstairs and more...
Richard Ingrams John Wells, John Sessions , Joan Sims amd Patricia Routledge recreate the world of JB Morton.
With Brian Bowles , Simon Greenall , Henrietta Gooden and featuring June Whitfield.
Running in the Daily Express from 1924 to 1975 – JB Morton’s surreally comic ‘Beachcomber’ column paved the way for a great deal of modern humour – thanks to characters he created between the wars.
Adapted by Michael Barfield with Richard Ingrams.
Announcer: the silken tones of Brian Perkins.
Producer: Harry Thompson
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 1994.
THU 10:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017srv7)
The Corridors of Power
Post-war politics throws up surprises for Lewis Eliot, as a rising star enlists his help. Stars David Haig and Iain Glen. From June 2003.
THU 11:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015pw1l)
Episode 4
Ellen Terry's Lady Macbeth is a controversial success, but her relationship with Henry Irving cools off. Read by Eleanor Bron.
THU 11:15 Drama (b010t6jh)
Ed Jones - The Janitor
The Janitor by Ed Jones.
Kevin is struggling to keep his new restaurant afloat in posh Salford Quays. But then Jonno turns up. The boy he was a dad to for a couple of years when he was shacked up with his mother. He couldn't save the mother, can he now save the kid? All fifteen stone of him?
Kevin............Jason Done
Jonno............Tachia Newall
Sandra..........Naomi Radcliffe
Mikey............Chris Jack
Amy..............Catherine Kinsella
Scotty...........Gerard Fletcher
Producer Gary Brown
Twenty years ago you wouldn't have found a posh restaurant in Salford. Now there's a load of them and a theatre and a designer outlet mall. And to top it all there's Media City with all those Giles and Jocastas moving in.
The truth is there's two kinds of Salfords. There's the Quays and posh Salford and Salford-Salford; the proper bit, that Lowry painted, with the bent over people and the dark heart.
This is the story of Kevin, a talented chef, who wanted to open a restaurant in his old stamping ground. To put something back - and make some dosh at the same time. Only, he isn't very good with figures, and his employees are ripping him off. His business is bleeding money.
When Jonno returns- a kid he used to live with - they both try and make things work. Jonno is trying to leave behind his old life of drugs and violence. But when it catches up with him it has major consequences for both Jonno and Kevin.
Starring Jason Done from Waterloo Rd, this is a morality tale for our times.
THU 12:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jnv2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 12:30 Radio Active (b007js7f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 13:00 Paul Temple (b00rm4xk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 13:30 The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (b00s77wp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ngnwv)
Patricia Ferguson - The Midwife's Daughter
Episode 9
By Patricia Ferguson
Read by Joanna Tope
The new novel by Patricia Ferguson is the compassionate and moving story of two sisters and the young black orphan who changes their lives.
Grace has met the injured soldier, Joe Gilder, and they plan their life together - with support from Aunt Bea.
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane.
THU 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4t17)
Capsules of Life
By the end of the 20th century, concerns raised in the 1992 Rio Earth Summit about the fate of wild plants and their ecosystems meant that conservation in the field now needed to be complemented by methods away from a plant's natural habitat.
Professor Kathy Willis pays a visit to the underground vaults of Kew's Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP), one in a network of 1300 seed banks around the world - and one of the main "ex situ" methods for conserving plant genetic material.
Knowing the longevity and quality of seeds is vital if they're to be put to good use in the real world. We hear a testament to the length of seed survival as head of the MSBP reveals recent success in germinating a 200 year old packet of seeds collected from the Dutch East India Company Gardens in South Africa. And Kathy Willis discovers how research into variable climates during crop cycles on seed quality is providing new leads into which varieties of crops seeds to store, to ensure future sustainable food supplies.
With contributions from seed morphologist Wolfgang Stuppy, MSB seed manager Janet Terry, Paul Smith head of the MSBP, and Hugh Pritchard head of MSBP seed conservation.
Producer Adrian Washbourne.
THU 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b011ld41)
Kieran Prendiville - Once More with Feeling
Episode 4
By Kieran Prendiville. A comedy drama set in the no-prisoners world of northern social clubs.
Its protagonist is Les Bone, a plumber who once came within sniffing distance of the big time when his band Nuclear Dump went mega.....without him.
And now, twenty five years down the line, still unlucky in love, single-parent Les has been tossed a second chance. His kids have a boyband (even if one of them is a girl) and they're a boy short for an upcoming tour of south Yorkshire, one of the hardest enclaves in clubland.
After a disastrous performance, the band is paid off. Les picks up with Elaine where he left off twenty five years ago - and gets dumped again.
Cast:
Les ..... Paul Copley
Sheila ...... Belinda Everett
Elaine ...... Blue Merrick
Denny ...... Christian Rodska
Chris ...... Harry Hepple
Alan/Scotch Billy ..... Rob Hudson
Kevin ..... Brogan West
Troy ..... James Baxter
Kimberly/Nurse ..... Joan Walker
Compere ..... Kieran Prendiville
Producer/Director: Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 14:45 Book of the Week (b0100x2v)
Ken Campbell: The Great Caper
Episode 4
Michael Coveney's biography tells the story of Campbell, the great adventurer of British theatre.
By Michael Coveney. In his production of 'The Warp', Campbell made arduous demands on his cast. For actor Russell Denton it was a life-changing experience.
Ken Campbell, who died in September 2008, was one of the great mavericks of British theatre.
Ill-suited to a role in conventional theatre, he created a risk-taking confrontational style of performance, which often explored unlikely subject matter.
He became, in director Mike Leigh's words, "The outsider's outsider"
Bob Hoskins, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent are amongst the performers whose formative years were spent working with Campbell. What did the director and producer bring to performance that made him such a mesmeric figure?
Writer Michael Coveney is a long-standing theatre critic, who has worked for The Financial Times, The Observer and The Daily Mail. Actor Toby Jones played Truman Capote in 'Infamous' and Swifty Lazar in 'Frost/Nixon' and recently reprised the role of Dobby in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. Toby has also appeared in a production of 'The Warp' by Neil Oram, the 22-hour epic created by Ken Campbell.
Read by Toby Jones
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.
THU 15:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017srv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
THU 16:00 The Food Quiz (b073qz7y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
THU 16:30 Beachcomber... By the Way (b008m24j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
THU 17:00 PG Wodehouse (b00bwtw9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
THU 17:30 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b072n5xp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 18:00 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (b007k0s3)
1. Immune
Robert Neville is immune to a plague which has decimated the population
Earth's last living man takes on hordes of survivors turned into monstrous vampires.
1954 cult classic set in the United States of America in 1976.
Read by Angus McInnes.
One of the 20th century's most significant vampire novels, Richard Matheson's 'I Am Legend' combines the worlds of sci-fi and horror.
Abridged in nine parts by Scott Stainton Miller.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in 2006.
THU 18:30 Great Lives (b0076ymt)
Series 9
Robin Day
Series of biographical discussions with Matthew Parris. News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy nominates his illustrious predecessor Robin Day. During the height of his career, Day was regarded as Britain's finest political interviewer. Some salute him for breaking the mould of deferential interviewing but others think he bullied his subjects and stole the limelight himself with his mannered performances. From June 2006.
THU 19:00 Steptoe and Son (b007jnv2)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
THU 19:30 Radio Active (b007js7f)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
THU 20:00 Paul Temple (b00rm4xk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
THU 20:30 The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (b00s77wp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
THU 21:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015pw1l)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
THU 21:15 Drama (b010t6jh)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
THU 22:00 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b072n5xp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
THU 22:30 Newsjack (b073r1c6)
Series 14
Episode 6
This week's stories lovingly bashed, mashed and moulded into sketches, one-liners and vox-pops written by the public. Trying to make sense of it all is our host, Nish Kumar.
We tackle Osborne's budget, Matt Le Blanc's Top Gear gaffe, and the biggest news story of all this week - Peter Stringfellow's naming ceremony in a strip club.
Nish is joined by George Fouracres, Cariad Lloyd and Dominique Moore.
Newsjack was produced by Matt Stronge and Paul Sheehan.
The Production Coordinator was Sophie Richardson.
It was a BBC Radio Comedy Production.
THU 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b074v9v6)
From 10pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Paul Garner chats again to Paul Kaye.
THU 23:00 Old Harry's Game (b007jm9l)
Series 3
This Thing Called Love
Satan worries about his image, and the Professor is concerned over his widow's remarriage.
Andy Hamilton’s devilishly funny sitcom set in Hell.
Satan …. Andy Hamilton
The Professor …. James Grout
Thomas …. Jimmy Mulville
Scumspawn …. Robert Duncan
Other characters played by Philip Pope, Michael Fenton Stevens, Felicity Montagu and Nick Revell
Producer Paul Mayhew-Archer
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 1999.
THU 23:30 Arthur Smith's Balham Bash (b010hcwk)
Series 3
Episode 3
Arthur Smith presents comedy and music from his flat in Balham, south London.
With stand-up comedy from Sean Lock in the living room, Annette Fagon on the landing and music from Squeeze in the kitchen.
Producer Alison Vernon-Smith.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2011.


FRIDAY 18 MARCH 2016

FRI 00:00 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (b007k0s3)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:00 on Thursday]
FRI 00:30 Great Lives (b0076ymt)
[Repeat of broadcast at 18:30 on Thursday]
FRI 01:00 Paul Temple (b00rm4xk)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 on Thursday]
FRI 01:30 The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll (b00s77wp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ngnwv)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:00 on Thursday]
FRI 02:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4t17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:15 on Thursday]
FRI 02:30 15 Minute Drama (b011ld41)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:30 on Thursday]
FRI 02:45 Book of the Week (b0100x2v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 14:45 on Thursday]
FRI 03:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017srv7)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:00 The Food Quiz (b073qz7y)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 on Thursday]
FRI 04:30 Beachcomber... By the Way (b008m24j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 on Thursday]
FRI 05:00 PG Wodehouse (b00bwtw9)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 on Thursday]
FRI 05:30 Susan Calman - Keep Calman Carry On (b072n5xp)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 on Thursday]
FRI 06:00 Paul Temple (b00rmxpm)
Paul Temple and the Gilbert Case
5. That Good Old Intuition
With Lynn Ferguson missing - the suave sleuth heads off to question the owner of the La Mortella club, Louis Fabian.
Francis Durbridge's thriller starring Peter Coke and Marjorie Westbury in another intriguing case for BBC radio's smoothest investigator and his glamorous wife.
Paul Temple …. Peter Coke
Steve …. Marjorie Westbury
Sir Graham Forbes …. Lester Mudditt
Charlie …. James Beattie
Lynn Ferguson …. Peggy Hassard
Wilfred Stirling …. Charles Leno
Louis Fabian …. Olaf Olsen
Peter Galino …. Robert Tietty
Detective Inspector Kingston …. Duncan McIntyre
Miss White …. Elizabeth London
Producer: Martyn C Webster
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in April 1954.
FRI 06:30 Let's Go To Misterland (b00qm467)
Created in 1971 by Roger Hargreaves, the Mr Men books have been an inherent part of so many childhoods.
Inspired by the author's son Adam, who one day inquired, "what does a tickle look like?". and the first character was born. The Little Miss books followed ten years later, worldwide sales have exceeded 100 million, and today the brand is flourishing under its new owners.
Stephanie Flanders takes a look at the Mr Men business and its growth over the years. She speaks to Adam Hargreaves who tells us the story behind the books and what inspired his father to create such a simplistic, yet hugely influential brand.
Created in the humble surroundings of a small home office, the characters have reached a global audience, and they appeal to today's children as much as their 1970s counterparts. Despite his death in 1988, Roger Hargreaves was the third best-selling author of the past decade, outstripping such feted writers as Jacqueline Wilson, Terry Pratchett and John Grisham.
Stephanie Flanders, daughter of the actor and singer Michael Flanders, examines the appeal of the Mr Men and how these bold, colourful drawings and simple stories continue to capture children's hearts.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in February 2010.
FRI 07:00 1835 (b0129v0m)
Haircut Sir?
Aristocrat Belport and his servant Ned join the police force, and are called upon to solve some murders in the city of London.
But first, to meet police regulations, they must both have hair cut:s - and as luck would have it, there's a barber's on Fleet Street, run by a Mr Sweeney Todd...
Comic saga of an aristocrat and his servant who struggle to find things to do in the mid- 1830s.
Belport ...... Paul Rider
Ned ...... Jason Done
Peel ...... Roy Barraclough
Trollope ...... Simon Greenall
Sweeney Todd ...... Jonathan Keeble
Written and directed at BBC Manchester by Jim Poyser.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in June 2004.
FRI 07:30 Wordaholics (b01s6c9z)
Series 2
Episode 4
Gyles Brandreth chairs the word-obsessed comedy panel show.
Katy Brand and Alex Horne compete with Richard Herring and Natalie Haynes for wordy supremacy.
Richard Herring decides to reclaim the word 'middle class' and tries to decipher the 16th century phrase 'a mare's nest'. Team-mate Natalie Haynes tries to get rid of the word 'decimate' and despite being a vegetarian works out what the very meaty cookery term 'barding' means.
Alex Horne comes up with the correct definition for the Victorian phrase 'a scraping castle' and asks to take the word 'a' out of the dictionary. Meanwhile, Katy Brand takes a guess at what the unit of measurement 'the Warhol' is and reveals that her favourite word is 'plop'.
Writers: Jon Hunter and James Kettle.
Producer: Claire Jones
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2013.
FRI 08:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jps5)
Series 6
The Poetry Society
The lad's new avant garde friends produce some poetical gems - with a little help from Sid and Bill.
Starring Tony Hancock. With Sidney James, Bill Kerr, Fenella Fielding, Warren Mitchell and Fraser Kerr.
Written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.
Theme and incidental music written by Wally Stott.
Producer: Tom Ronald
First broadcast on the BBC Light Programme in December 1959.
FRI 08:30 The Goon Show (b007jtd4)
Series 7
The Nasty Affair at the Burami Oasis
Admiral Seagoon is dispatched as bandits attack the British garrison.
Groundbreaking, surreal BBC radio comedy written by Spike Milligan and Larry Stephens.
Starring:
Peter Sellers
Harry Secombe
Spike Milligan
First billed as Crazy People, ten series of The Goon Show were recorded between 1951 and 1960, but sadly many of the earliest shows weren’t kept in the archive.
With the Ray Ellington Quartet and Max Geldray.
Orchestra conducted by Wally Stott.
Announcer: Wallace Greenslade
Producer: Peter Eton
First broadcast on the BBC Home Service in October 1956.
FRI 09:00 Wildbrain (b073r48v)
1997 - Heat 6
Lionel Kelleway visits Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden, to test more wildlife knowledge in the BBC Natural History Unit's quiz.
FRI 09:30 No Commitments (b007jp2j)
Series 8
My Turn Now
Anna's sisters Charlotte and Victoria are even more self-absorbed than usual. Stars Rosemary Leach. From January 2002.
FRI 10:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017sv17)
Corridors of Power - The Choice
As Roger Quaife's political destiny hangs on an extraordinary Commons debate, what future for Lewis Eliot? Stars David Haig. From June 2003.
FRI 11:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015r2bd)
Episode 5
Suffering a stroke on stage, Henry Irving dies, but Ellen Terry battles on. Eleanor Bron concludes Michael Holroyd's biography.
FRI 11:15 Drama (b00j8dk1)
Peter Souter - Stream, River, Sea
By Peter Souter. Hugh and Bella, are running to the same timetable, the timetable you're on if someone you love has just died, and they keep running into each other.
They visit the same undertakers at the same time; Hugh's Mum is cremated immediately after Bella's husband; and they even end up in the same bereavement-counselling group.
But Hugh and Bella are dealing with very different types of grief. Hugh's heart is like a toy that has never been taken out of the box, Bella's is like a beautiful crystal glass that's been dropped from a 30 storey building.
Hugh... Alex Jennings
Bella... Juliet Stevenson
Daisy... Lizzy Watts
Directed by Gordon House.
FRI 12:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jps5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 12:30 The Goon Show (b007jtd4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 13:00 Paul Temple (b00rmxpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 13:30 Let's Go To Misterland (b00qm467)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 14:00 Book at Bedtime (b01ngrxl)
Patricia Ferguson - The Midwife's Daughter
Episode 10
By Patricia Ferguson
Read by Joanna Tope
The new novel by Patricia Ferguson is the compassionate and moving story of two sisters and the young black orphan who changes their lives.
There is wonderful news for Grace but joy is short lived. And the final truth about the past is revealed.
Abridged by Robin Brooks
Produced by Gaynor Macfarlane.
FRI 14:15 Plants: From Roots to Riches (b04d4ppb)
A Useful Weed
At a glance, Arabidopsis thaliana (Mouse ear cress) looks little more than a tiny flowering weed. But this nondescript plant became a Rosetta stone for understanding the molecular processes underpinning many plant traits when in 2000 it became the first plant to have its genome fully sequenced.
Professor Kathy Willis hears how Arabidopsis bagged the role in plant genetics research similar to that played by mice and fruit flies in animal research, and how amidst arguments for and against the technique of modification, it became a key to introducing new characteristics in a quicker and more targeted way than traditional plant breeding.
The overall size of the Arabidopsis genome however, is not typical of many plants. We hear how a new understanding of the surprisingly diverse range of genome sizes within the plant kingdom is shedding light on the speed of a plant's ability to reproduce and adapt in changing conditions, which could play a fundamental role in decoding the patterns of plant distribution we see around the world.
With contributions from historian Jim Endersby, plant scientist Prof Liam Dolan and cytogeneticist Ilia Leitch.
Producer Adrian Washbourne.
FRI 14:30 15 Minute Drama (b011ld49)
Kieran Prendiville - Once More with Feeling
Episode 5
By Kieran Prendiville. A comedy drama set in the no-prisoners world of northern social clubs.
Its protagonist is Les Bone, a plumber who once came within sniffing distance of the big time when his band Nuclear Dump went mega.....without him.
And now, twenty five years down the line, still unlucky in love, single-parent Les has been tossed a second chance. His kids have a boyband (even if one of them is a girl) and they're a boy short for an upcoming tour of south Yorkshire, one of the hardest enclaves in clubland.
Against all odds, the family band makes the Blackpool showcase and comedian Denny gives the performance of his life.
Cast:
Les ..... Paul Copley
Sheila ...... Belinda Everett
Elaine ...... Blue Merrick
Denny ...... Christian Rodska
Chris ...... Harry Hepple
Alan/Scotch Billy ..... Rob Hudson
Kevin ..... Brogan West
Troy ..... James Baxter
Kimberly/Nurse ..... Joan Walker
Compere ..... Kieran Prendiville
Producer/Director: Clive Brill
A Pacificus Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 14:45 Book of the Week (b0100x2x)
Ken Campbell: The Great Caper
Episode 5
Michael Coveney's biography tells the story of Campbell, the great adventurer of British theatre.
In his later work, Campbell focuses on improvisation; taking the safety-net of the script away from his performers.
Ken Campbell, who died in September 2008, was one of the great mavericks of British theatre.
Ill-suited to a role in conventional theatre, he created a risk-taking confrontational style of performance, which often explored unlikely subject matter.
He became, in director Mike Leigh's words, "The outsider's outsider"
Bob Hoskins, Bill Nighy and Jim Broadbent are amongst the performers whose formative years were spent working with Campbell. What did the director and producer bring to performance that made him such a mesmeric figure?
Writer Michael Coveney is a long-standing theatre critic, who has worked for The Financial Times, The Observer and The Daily Mail. Actor Toby Jones played Truman Capote in 'Infamous' and Swifty Lazar in 'Frost/Nixon' and recently reprised the role of Dobby in the film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'. Toby has also appeared in a production of 'The Warp' by Neil Oram, the 22-hour epic created by Ken Campbell.
Read by Toby Jones
Abridged by Pete Nichols
Producer: Karen Rose
A Sweet Talk Production for BBC Radio 4.
FRI 15:00 CP Snow - Strangers and Brothers (b017sv17)
[Repeat of broadcast at 10:00 today]
FRI 16:00 Wildbrain (b073r48v)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:00 today]
FRI 16:30 No Commitments (b007jp2j)
[Repeat of broadcast at 09:30 today]
FRI 17:00 1835 (b0129v0m)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:00 today]
FRI 17:30 Wordaholics (b01s6c9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 18:00 I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (b007k0tb)
2. Tomb
Earth's last living man, Robert Neville, discovers that his wife's tomb is a lair for vampires.
Richard Matheson's 1954 cult classic set in 1976 USA. One of the 20th century's most significant vampire novels, combining sci-fi and horror.
Read by Angus McInnes.
Abridged by Scott Stainton Miller.
Producer: Eilidh McCreadie
Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra by BBC Scotland and first broadcast in January 2006.
FRI 18:30 Soul Music (b008m82d)
Series 6
New York, New York
Andrew Collins and Mark Shenton present the story behind the classic song New York, New York.
Songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote the title song for the film. Unfortunately, the star Robert de Niro didn't like it, so they furiously wrote another one.
John Kander talks about the story behind the classic song.
Featuring:
Lorrena Turner
Michael Freedland
Huw Madoc-Jones
Terry Bennett
Alun Howells
Gareth Valentine
John Kander
Patrick Sasso
Rosemary Watts
Series about music that makes the hairs stand up on the back of our necks.
Producer: Sara Conkey
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January 2008.
FRI 19:00 Hancock's Half Hour (b007jps5)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:00 today]
FRI 19:30 The Goon Show (b007jtd4)
[Repeat of broadcast at 08:30 today]
FRI 20:00 Paul Temple (b00rmxpm)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:00 today]
FRI 20:30 Let's Go To Misterland (b00qm467)
[Repeat of broadcast at 06:30 today]
FRI 21:00 Michael Holroyd - A Strange Eventful History (b015r2bd)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:00 today]
FRI 21:15 Drama (b00j8dk1)
[Repeat of broadcast at 11:15 today]
FRI 22:00 Wordaholics (b01s6c9z)
[Repeat of broadcast at 07:30 today]
FRI 22:30 Rudy's Rare Records (b01ng835)
Series 4
Let It Grow
Episode 3: Let It Grow
Adam is keen to take on an allotment and work the land with his Dad, Rudy. Rudy would prefer a patio.
Adam hopes to bond with his Dad, Rudy, whilst they till the earth together on an allotment. However, Rudy prefers to chill with his best friend Clifton and only takes an interest when they spot a rare and illegal plant growing in the greenhouse.
Father and son comedy set in the finest old-school record shop in Birmingham. Starring Lenny Henry, Larrington Walker and some terrific tunes.
Rudy's Rare Records is a tiny down at heel old reggae record shop in Birmingham - one of a dying breed; a place with real soul, stacked with piles of vinyl, where the slogan is "if we don't have it - them don't mek it". It's owned by the charismatic, irrepressible Rudy Sharpe (Larrington Walker), reluctantly helped out by his long-suffering neurotic son Adam (Lenny Henry) and Handsworth's first, black, surly girly goth, Tasha (Natasha Godfrey). Rudy has recently married his long-term love interest Doreen (Claire Benedict) which is leaving his best friend Clifton (Jeffery Kissoon) feeling left out.
Adam ............ Lenny Henry
Rudy ............ Larrington Walker
Tasha ............ Natasha Godfrey
Doreen ............ Claire Benedict
Clifton ............ Jeffery Kissoon
Lucinda ............ Sarah Thom
Trader/Customer/Dealer ............ Adam Nagaitis
Written by Danny Robins
Producer: Katie Tyrrell
Music featured in this episode:
ZUNGGUZUNGGUGUZUNGGUZENG * YELLOW MAN
THE GATES OF ZION * THE MIGHTY DIAMONDS
INCREDIBLE * M BEAT FEAT. GENERAL LEVY
HERBAL DUB * KING TUBBY
RUMOURS * GREGORY ISAACS
CARRY GO BRING HOME * THE SELECTER
GIMME THE LIGHT * SEAN PAUL
HARD TIMES * LEO GRAHAM
RAPPER'S DELIGHT * SUGARHILL GANG.
FRI 22:55 The Comedy Club Interviews (b074vb9h)
From 10pm to midnight, seven days a week, the Comedy Club has two hours of comedy. Plus Arthur Smith chats again to Adam Riches.
FRI 23:00 The Mark Steel Lecture (b007jlwr)
Series 2
Aristotle
A profile of the Greek philosopher, who he thinks was hard done by - Aristotle.
Mark Steel lectures humourously about historical figures that have shaped their era.
With:
Melanie Hudson
Martin Hyder
Producer: Lucy Armitage
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in March 2001.
FRI 23:30 Hard to Tell (b03h3ybf)
Series 2
Episode 1
Second series of the relationship comedy written by Jonny Sweet.
It tells its central love story through the couple's individual conversations with their family and friends. In the process, we are introduced to all manner of relationships from a father and his cherished tour van to two women rivalling for the position of Best Friend, from a brother and sister comparing notes on Brazilians to a vicar and his new parish, and from a lodger's historic fling with a local waitress to a mum's lack of control over her desire to monitor her son's life.
Recorded on location, Hard To Tell's naturalistic, contemporary and conversational style brings new meaning to restaurants, funerals, French dressers and monkey puzzle trees.
Jonny Sweet is also the writer of Radio 4's Party and co-writer/co-star of Chickens on Sky 1.
Episode 1:
Tom and Ellen organize a night out so that their parents can meet. Ellen's Dad's lodger invites herself along, while Tom's Mum and Dad decide to open up about an aspect of Tom's lifestyle that's been troubling them.
Producer: Lucy Armintage
A Tiger Aspect production for BBC Radio 4.